Atlas's Revelation
by RedRonin
Summary: Enter the World of the Sole Survivor named Atlas. He has vague memories of the time before the bombs fell. Follow Atlas as he survives through the barren wasteland of Boston. During his lonesome journey through the wastes he will find a eccentric ally that nobody could have imagined. (Female Deathclaw) Rated M due to violence, blood, gore, and sexual references. OC and many things
1. Chapter 1: Enter Atlas

Atlas's Revelation

 **THIS IS A DISCLAIMER FOR THE ENTIRE STORY! I do not own fallout or Bethesda games. This is simply a fallout universe with some OC of mine. I do not own anything but my OC's. Thanks.**

Chapter 1: Enter Atlas

 _ **This is taking place in a fallout 4 setting. The character will be the sole survivor but with many changes obviously. This is my first go at a story like this so feel free to give many criticisms and some advice would be appreciated. If I have writer's block I will ask for some ideas from others but until then I think I have this figured out. Enjoy!**_

I always did like being by myself. It was always peaceful, being in a bliss of solitude, not a problem in the world being able to do what a want when I want.

My parents were so distraught when I left them so early on in life. I hope they forgive me. When the bombs fell in October 23, 2077, I and my fellow neighbors of sanctuary had to go into this nearby vault. Vault 111 had saved me that's for sure. We were put in these chambers that froze us up. I can't remember much but I do know that the Vault staff said they were going to put us in these until the world was safer for us to live on.

Memories, memories, memories, they are hazy and distorted. I can't even remember my name. I can't recall much at all now that I really think about it. Only that I was by myself when the bombs fell and when I awoke from the "Cryo Chamber" I was the only one that remained alive. Everyone else was dead. The Vaults systems droning on and on about the status of the vault.

I had to kill these huge ass Cockroaches when I started searching the vault. Thank god for the scattered vault security equipment that was left by the remains of their previous owner. I was actually alone. It wasn't too vexatious but it might be later on down the road of surviving in this new world.

As I neared the button that brings the elevator up to the world above I found a little device. I took it off of the skeleton and preceded to put it on my wrist and turned it on. It was a pip boy and I didn't have the slightest clue how to use it but I hooked it up into the Vault elevator access panel and it started to come down. I went up the elevator and was greeted by a baron wasteland.

This was definitely hell.

Atlas is now a 22 year old man who moved away from his parents at the age of 19. When the bombs fell he was 20 years old and alone in sanctuary and had no one he really cared for. He knew deep down that his parents were most likely dead.

The year is now 2287 and in legit terms he is 222 years old but Cryo prevented him from being a walking skeleton or even a ghoul.

He has quite a split personality as sometimes he is very calm and collected and showing almost no emotions and other times he is very sentimental, ludicrous, and just outright emotional. Complete opposite of his other self. It's not multiple personalities it's just situational really. It's still him 24/7 just with different reactions to everything.

Since leaving the Cryo chamber it's been shown that he has forgotten a lot of things, including his name. His name is obviously not Atlas and he only uses that name due to the fact that Atlas was a Titan in Greek mythology that was condemned to hold up the sky for eternity after the Titanomachy. He feels like he is holding his suppressed feelings for all eternity. He has nothing and he shows nothing at all as if it never bothered him.

After leaving the vault he visited his old house and moved to a gas station called Red Rocket which isn't very far away from his home. Here he has stayed for 2 years building up some turrets and scavenging what he could from nearby concord.

He found a wasteland survival guide which really helped out in his activities but it gave the horrid creatures names. He had faced Radroaches, Mole rats, Bloatflys, Bloodbugs, and Raiders were scattered in concord a plenty. He has seen some rabid dogs and some messed up deer creature called a Radstag but he just didn't bother those things.

He was surviving and that was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2: Almost perfect

**Well chapter 2 is out already. Hope yall enjoy! Credit goes out to an amazing writer named Donrocs1 for his inspiration and i highly recommend reading his stories.**

Chapter 2: Almost perfect

Atlas awoke slowly, tossing and turning a lot before finally deciding to get up from his nice slumber. Going through memories and trying to make them piece together was tiring. He was a little groggy at first but he straightened himself and went into the bathroom to fix himself in the mirror.

Atlas was quite a tall man staggering at 6 feet and 5 inches. He didn't know where his height had come from but he liked it. He is Caucasian with a creamy beige tan on his arms, face, and legs. His chest is a little bit lighter in tone but not too noticeable. His deep green eyes were very noticeable from a distance almost like staring at emeralds. He was fairly built but didn't look like he went to a gym everyday that's for sure. He could handle hand-to-hand situations just fine.

He looked in the mirror and combed his messy bed head hair. It was a casual short hairstyle and it was very dark brown.

"Good morning ya bastard. Time to steal shit and make it home safely once again." I said to myself.

"It's the same thing every god damned day… nothing is new. Scavenge, kill shit, and hope you don't die. Will it ever get better?" I questioned as I walked towards the master room putting on my armor.

I don't have very good armor but it's still pretty nice. It's some leather armor that I found on a dead waste lander and I added some things to it. I put a metal sleeve and gauntlet on the left side to that it's more protected and I have a holster for my 10mm so that I don't have to keep it in my bag 24/7. I still would much rather have power armor that I've heard so much about.

"I can imagine it now" I thought while walking out the door with my bare essentials. The loud whirring noise from the turrets broke my train of thought for a few seconds.

"T-45 power armor. Better than just hunks of metal that's for sure. I've heard of the stories of t-51 b and how it won the war of Anchorage. Then there is the Brotherhood of Steel I have been reading about. New T-60 would be very nice to have granted I have power cores." I rambled, walking towards concord.

"But what about that armor that is so rare it's like finding an unopened chest at the bottom of a cave that isn't plagued with critters or traps. I believe that book said it was called X-01. Apparently very high tech and is far more superior and prominent than the other models." I droned on and on about power armor that I'm starting to hope I might come across a suit.

I don't know why I talk to myself so much. Could be that I'm alone or I'm insane either way I'm always talking to myself as if it's getting somewhere. *sigh*

As I entered concord I started heading towards eastern ends of the city. Haven't checked much from that side. The streets were still littered with raider bodies and mole rats. I hate those raiders man. I turn on the pip boy and look at the map of the area. I can see some of the back alleys but not much help. As I walk past this museum I see a house with boarded up windows. That could mean some loot and I sure as hell don't remember this house with boarded up windows. The wood seems newer too.

I draw my 10 mil and open the door quick pre-aiming the house. I take slow steps into the house and the wood creaks under my feet. I go room to room to make sure it's clear. After clearing the kitchen I heard some loud shuffling sounds coming from the upstairs area. I slowly make my way up the steps slowly creaking and ready to fire at anything that moves.

Nearing the entrance way to the room some loud audible hissing could be heard.

"Radroach… simple enough" I scoffed moving into the doorway and aiming low. Sure enough a Radroach came hissing out from under the bed, I took aim and…

 ***POP***

The Radroach was reduced to yellowish green blood and guts spread throughout the floor as the 10mm decimated the bug.

"Heh heh never gets old that's for sure." I chuckled at the sight of roach goop.

I went ahead and called it all clear. I went and started looting the house shoving things into my bag. Bottle caps, Salisbury steak, Cram, Stimpacks, and some other junk I can use for some modifications. There was a pipe pistol but that hunk of crap was for raiders and I don't resort to bullshit like that.

I proceeded down the steps and prospected some more finding purified water in cans, Nuka cola, and a bunch of crisps. This will do for a while.

Taking some more junk objects I decided to go ahead and head on back. Things were going a little too well for me that's for certain.

"Mmmm I hope it rains soon. Without rain how the hell am I supposed to shower my sweaty ass? Grab soap and go to town in the rain don't be afraid to show the world what you got!"

I joked putting my new found items in the shelfs and fridge. I kept a can of potato crisps to eat. Pulling out my combat knife I stabbed the can with a loud ***kirik*** sound. Opening the can I preceded to stuff my face.

"Mm mm mmm this is good. Can't remember the last time I had Crisps... well… I can't remember shit." My mood swung from one end to the other. I wish I could remember more from before the bombs.

He halted his eating when he heard his turrets make a beeping almost honk noise indicating something unrecognizable is entering the area. He heard a few rounds go off before an explosion. He got up and started rushing outside hearing a series of mini explosions.

Drawing his holstered 10 mil he walked out and saw absolutely nothing. Just pieces of broken metal and fire. Examining some of the bits of metal until he heard shuffling behind him. Before he could fully turn around he was smacked hard in his center back area sending him back a few feet.

Grunting and moaning from the instant pain he lifted his 10 mil up only to have it smacked out of his hand. He slowly got on his hands and knees. He wanted to look up to see what had sent him flying but he was afraid. He never trembled like this before as he felt warm breaths of air hit his hair. He slowly looked up in shock at the large 8 foot figure standing above him and staring at his figure. It had dark and scaly skin, long horns which curved more downward and out towards its snout. This draconic creature was packing large claws, sharp jagged teeth, and big ass claws on its toes. He was trembling so bad he thought the world was having an earthquake.

"A-a fucking deathclaw? Are you serious? I-I don't have anything to take this f-fucking thing out." He managed to stutter out.

"I made it so far on my own and now I really wish I had someone to help me right now." He said with a bit of anger.

He jumped up on his legs and had his knife in a combat type of hold with the blade going down the length of his arm. He lunged forward only to by side-stepped and grabbed by the arm.

Before he had time to comprehend that his big thing had just dodged the shit out of him he was thrown into a car that had been destroyed and left at the gas station. That hit into the car caused him to inhale at the sudden loss of air. Sitting against it he slacked his limbs as cuts started forming on his arm. This must've been where the reptile thing grabbed him. With such large claws it could have been worse.

The deathclaw snorted as it walked over with its claws drawn ready to close in for the kill. It lifted its giant arm in a pose about to strike right at his heart. It lowered it down quick before stopping only a few inches close to his chest as it heard something odd, laughter.

Atlas sat and laughed. His laughter went from soft to very loud as the beast sat in its pose looking confused. He lifted his head and the deathclaw stared into his emerald green eyes and saw some blue trickling down his cheeks. He was crying.

I looked the deathclaw right in its Ruby eyes and laughed. Tears were just gushing down my face.

"Just do it. I've been by myself for the longest goddamned time you'd be doing me a service! This life is so MISERABLE WITHOUT ANYONE TO CARE ABOUT!" The man shouted.

"Stop looking at me and just fucking end it…." The man said quietly.

" _You… you welcome death?"_

 **Break**

 **Well? What did y'all think? Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3: Expect the Unexpected

Chapter 3: Expect the Unexpected

 **Since it wasn't explained fully the appearance of the Deathclaw is that of a regular Deathclaw from Fallout 4. It will have ruby eyes instead, some scars, shorter than regular Deathclaws but not by much, and is slightly more agile then others. On with the story!**

I wonder what the world would have been like for people if there wasn't any weird creatures trying to kill you, eat you, and lay eggs on you. Would the world remain a wasteland or would we be able to work together to rebuild the world we once knew and loved.

It wasn't much better before the bombs dropped. Yeah no radiation and no giant cockroaches trying to eat you're fucking eyeballs but it was still hell with the Great War. The Great War started on the 23rd of October, 2077 and It was unclear who struck first: The US or the Chinese, but when the warning sirens sounded, it was for real. The American people had been having drills for decades, so when the sirens went off, they thought it was just another drill and didn't run for the newly created Vaults. Those who went to the vaults would be the ones who would rebuild once the radiation had died down. When the other nations in the world saw the missiles launching, they launched their own, unclear as to what they were shooting at.

Billions died in the resulting war, and it's unclear as to how many people actually managed to survive outside of the vaults in the US. Almost all communication with the outside world was severed once the earth was baked with nuclear fire, and the remaining people on the surface were far too busy dying of radiation sickness and being vaporized to write things down. With the high radiation levels, mutations began to appear. Humans began turning into ghouls, and insects like the scorpion or bloat fly began to grow to extraordinary sizes. New species of creatures were created within days and almost overnight, posing an even bigger threat to those who managed to survive.

13 years later, the first vaults begin to open, and the survivors begin to rebuild what was left of their shattered lives in this new world.

Deathclaws were the most fearsome and legendary beasts in the whole commonwealth. They roam from DC to New Vegas and they aren't excluded at all in the Boston area. These monsters were experiments made by the Enclave in order to act as a weapon almost like a sleeper agent. Just activate it, tell it the order and it will carry it out swiftly. This wasn't the case seeing as they are now treading through the wastes of the world and they sure as hell don't take orders.

What if you could take one of these 8 foot beasts with large claws and agile but tough bodies and make them able to communicate. Do you think you would even get the chance to say hello to them before they rip you into a thousand pieces twice over. No I didn't really think twice about it when I heard about intelligent Deathclaws that could communicate with other sentient beings. It seems bizarre and extraordinary but hey just look at the fucking wastes we use to call America and it won't seem as bizarre.

"W…What did you just say?" Atlas asked frightened. He looked up straight into the ruby eyes of the beast. Beautiful they were.

" _You welcome death? Why?"_

Atlas jumped hearing another response. What he had just seen and heard was incomprehensible. Well…. To him anyway. He felt his world shifting and turning underneath him. He was actually dead already he was just in some weird purgatory that seems to want him to stay just so things can get weirder and weirder. Was this really his afterlife? Was he forced to live in this hell by himself? What had he done to wrong himself so badly? It would help if he could remember more than just leaving his parents because this "amnesia" isn't helping at all. Surely it wasn't him leaving his parents like he did but every kid has to move on from their parents so what in god's name could have gotten him in such turmoil.

"Oi. Did you actually just talk or am I really dead and imagining shit?" asked the bewildered Atlas still petrified as to what had occurred in his life. He was staring at the huge creature before him.

" _Indeed I did. Are you going to be so kind as to answer my question now?"_

Yep. Atlas was actually dead. This fucking thing just responded to him. It had a very feminine voice and that alone was psyching him the fuck out. Seriously where did he go wrong to get so fucked?

This one was definitely significant. Not only was this Deathclaw a female but it could talk. It was very intellect. More so than before as it can communicate. Where had she come from? No Deathclaws could talk around here from what he could guess. That was more of a DC thing as the Enclave were everywhere there. Has she come here all the way from DC? I'm not about to ask it but fuck it whatever.

My heart was racing. My thoughts were pondering and wandering. Why here? Why now? How? Why hasn't "She" killed me yet? I should probably say something.

"H-how can you talk?" He managed to get out.

" _What?"_ The Deathclaw straightened up and tilted its head to the side slightly flicking its tongue out.

I decided to repeat myself

"How can you talk? I've never heard of a Deathclaw that could talk. At least not from around here." He spouted not wanting to move as moving an inch could mean imminent death.

" _It's simple. I'm not from here. I'm from an area you humans refer to as Washington D.C. Now please answer my earlier question of why you would welcome death? Are you foolish? A child?"_

"Well. That answers that. As to answer your question no. I really don't welcome it but in the heat of the moment I…" Atlas tried to get the rest out but couldn't

" _Mm?"_

"You are a Deathclaw. A monster in the eyes of my species and I was done for. You had me by the balls and yet here you are talking to me. Even if I wanted to kill you I don't have the weapons nor the armor. When you had me pinned up against the car I just… broke down. I have no one Deathclaw. Anyone I knew before is most likely dead. I can't even remember jack shit anyways. That's why I wanted you to kill me because I felt like I had nothing else to really live for. I felt as if I was only prolonging my death in this hellish wasteland." Atlas said vigor.

The beast let its arms relax and its nails slightly retract. It seemed completely calm and showed no sign of aggression.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you mauling me to pieces right now?" Atlas shouted angrily

" _Why should I? You pose no harm even if you had your weapons. Besides, I like listening to you talk. It's almost like you did this for a profession."_ Said the giant draconian figure standing before Atlas.

Atlas was taken aback by the compliment. Why was this thing so civilized? I know it's intellectual and that it was most likely more intelligent than he even before it could talk. This thing seemed like it would be better to talk to than an actual person. Crazy right?

"So Miss Deathclaw… you said you came from DC, I'm guessing it's not much different from here right? What reigns on DC?" Atlas said out of curiosity.

" _Mm? Well it's mostly like this place but the Super mutants hold supreme with the help of the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel is slowly rising up thanks to some human named the lone wanderer. They say he was from a vault. Vault 101 if my memory is correct."_

"Brotherhood of Steel? They just arrived here and they are kicking some major ass with their power armor. I can't imagine the kind of battles they must have with the enclave."

I can't believe I'm having a civilized conversation with a monster and it literally just killed my defenses and almost me. This is really making my head pound.

" _What about here? What reigns here human?_ " she asked tilting her head.

"Well here we have a bunch of factions. There are raiders, Brotherhood of Steel, the institute if the scariest as they create robots that are exactly like humans. The railroad is like a safe place for sentient synths not wanting to kill or be killed, and the Minutemen which is like a friendly militia. All in all ghouls and super mutants are the only mutations people really have problems with. Mire lurks and Deathclaws don't show up too much if you know what you're doing."

The Deathclaw seemed to stretch her chops to a smile. It was smiling…

" _See? I told you. You sound like one of those humans that record their voices for a living."_ She said content with her previous complement.

"Even if I did do something like that I wouldn't remember. My life before the bombs fell is nothing but a blur"

" _What? How are you over two-hundred years old? You had a life before the Great War but here you are looking like a fresh adult."_ She said with some venom in her tone. She straightened her posture once more.

"I was frozen in vault 111 and I woke up two-hundred something years later. I'm alive because I was frozen in a cryosleep."

" _Ah now that makes much more sense."_

"Why can you talk?" Atlas asked bluntly trying not to stay on the topic

Her smile dropped.  
 _"I guess I can tell you. It's not like you really have anybody to tell anyway."_

Good point

" _I'm not actually from DC. I was merely transported their by the use of those obnoxious metal machines that can fly. Vertibirds I think is what those Enclave soldiers called them. Anyway I was actually from New California. They experimented on me. Exposing me to something that boosted my intelligence and gave me the ability to speak to others. I was transported to DC after a huge mass escape took place and they decided to confine me in even more cells at DC. I broke out and eventually made my way here."_ She droned on.

"Damn. That must have been a long walk. Seriously though I know you're intelligent and all but I know you must have gone through a lot. I would expect you to hate all humans or something. You must have taken out plenty of things on your way here?" Atlas said curiously

" _I'm intelligent for a reason I know not all humans are bad that just wouldn't make sense. And of course I "took out" a lot of things here. I slaughtered mutants, ghouls, insects, I even had to go against one of my own kind. I didn't kill him but I definitely maimed him."_ She said whole-heartedly

This is getting too fucking ridiculous I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself I am actually having a rather interesting conversation with a fucking overgrown lizard. It's most definitely the end of the world as we now know it.

"Well I have to admit you sound like one tough and experienced son of a bitch."

The Deathclaw blushed at the compliment. It wasn't too noticeable by Atlas but he understood the gesture by her slight stance change.

" _Th-thanks."_ She managed to get out.

"Don't mention it." He said standing up

"So what will you do now? We talked and you still haven't eaten me so what's the plan for you?"

He walked over and grabbed his pistol and knife and holstered them, looking up at those ruby eyes waiting for a response.

" _I don't know actually. I rather enjoyed this conversation and its nice running across someone who isn't as ruthless as the world. I guess I'll venture around this area. Concord I believe this place was called. Maybe we'll cross paths again."_ She said in the most kindred way shifting her stance.

"Wait that's it? You are just going to roam around here?" He said in a worried tone

" _I simply want to live a peaceful life. If possible I'd want it to be with someone else but I seem to be the only intelligent Deathclaw left around here. Peace is all I want."_

A monster wanting to live in peace. Really.

"Well that's not a bad thing to wish for. Not at all." Atlas said kind of down. He started looking towards the open areas with an almost expressionless face.

" _Well I guess I bid you Vale, farewell, au revoir and so much more. You were the first person to really be nice to me and not completely heartless. Much appreciated."_ She turned and started making her way towards concord.

"Gah! Dammit I feel like shit I don't know and it's really bothering me. More than my memory problems. Alright fuck it!"

He started running in her general direction hand on his holster just in case. He felt the need to make her his companion. She was nice and she seemed like she could handle herself. Why not try to get a follower? Someone to finally talk to. Atlas has been alone forever and even if it meant having a big gecko as friend it was still better than none.

"HEY! WAIT! I NEED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING!" He shouted running after her so she may stop.

They were just now getting into the first few houses in to concord. Dead bodies had littered the streets from Atlas's past dirty work.

" _Hmm? What's going on?"_ She turned looking at the 6 foot 5 man going full sprint towards her.

She tilted her head to the right. _"What is it Cara?"_

I'm guessing that means friend. I hope.

Atlas came to a halt and hunched over trying to catch his breath.

"Wait… wait… don't leave. I…" He choked on his own words as he began to doubt.

" _Mm?"_ She lowered herself slightly trying to look into the man's emerald eyes.

"I know this is very strange and stupid of a little human like myself but I want you to travel with me and stay with me as a follower and companion. We could do so much together. Wipe out towns of baddies and loot to our hearts content and eventually make the world safer for all. Just think. If I can get better weapons and the rare chance of power armor, I could stand an even better chance. You and I would be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with."

Atlas spewed out a bunch of words from his mouth hoping for the best. He really wanted to have her help.

Atlas looked up into her ruby eyes and then proceeded to almost bow and pray at the same time.  
"Please…" he begged.

Atlas opened an eye and looked up as he heard something. Laughter.

She was laughing, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. It was very strange to him. Was he really that embarrassing? Pitiful? God just hit me.

" _Ha ha ha! Oh my, what a performance human. That was stunning indeed. After such a valiant offer there is no way one such as I should decline. I accept your offer to travel as partners."_ She said with a toothy smirk.

How cute. A Deathclaw smirking. You don't see that every day.

Atlas felt a huge rush of happiness, content, and excitement run over him. He was speechless until he broke it with…

"Really? You mean it?"

" _Of course. You're not that bad after all."_ She said with a chuckle.

Atlas didn't know what happened as he jumped up on the Deathclaw trapping it in a bear hug repeatedly saying, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

" _Oh my gosh you pup. It's no big deal human."_ She said with laughter

"You have no idea how happy I am to finally have someone to talk to. It's been forever! Sure I talked to some prospectors but that wasn't even true conversations." He said excitedly.

"Come on!" he shouted tugging on her arm. "I have to get some things settled at the house. The garage is big enough for you to fit in."

" _Such kindness"_ she thought to herself.

" _I guess I truly lucked out coming here. I gained a friend."_

 **Break**

Making their way to the red rocket gas station Atlas turned around and asked while walking backwards, "So what should I call you Miss? I don't know your name and I'd rather not call you Deathclaw."

" _I don't really have a name my friend. You can call me whatever you like."_ She said with a smile

There is that smile again.

Her ruby eyes shimmered as he pondered what to call her.

" _Umm. Cara? You might want t-"_

"Aha!" he interrupted.

"I will call you r- AHH!"

 **THUD**

Atlas groaned as he sat up rubbing his head from the fall.

" _You should really watch where you are going dear. Don't want to hurt yourself do you?"_ She stated with sarcasm in her tone

"Ow. Look I thought of a name for you and I hope you like it." He got up and brushed the dirt off of his pants and his metal sleeve and gauntlet.

"I want to call you… Ruby." He said with some compassion in his tone.

" _Hmm. I like it. It's beautiful but why that name might I ask?"_

Atlas walked up towards her and motioned for her to lean down. He put his palm on the underside of her maw and pulled her in. He stared into her ruby eyes as his own emerald eyes stared into hers.

"It's because your eyes are absolutely stunning. They are ruby in color so I thought it would match you." He said content with his name choice.

" _Mm yes I really like it. Thank you so much for the name. Now what might I call you?"_ She added with a blush. This one went unnoticed.

Atlas's smile dropped

"Well… you remember how I said I have trouble remembering my life before the bombs? Well, I can't remember even my name. I have simply referred to myself as Atlas. Mainly because of the fact that Atlas is a Greek titan bent on holding the sky on his shoulders for eternity. I carry burdens and everlasting pain on mine so I went with that name."

He let go of her and looked down at the ground in disappointment.

" _I can't really say I approve of the name you gave yourself but I guess it is okay for now. I will look into giving you a new name."_ She said looking down at the slumped form of Atlas. She straightened herself and began walking towards the gas station seen a little ways away.

Atlas regained his posture and followed behind. "Thanks." He stated. "I won't need to rebuild turrets I suppose since you and I will be here. No harm done there. All in all I'm glad to have you Ruby. We will accomplish so much."

" _I hope so Atlas. I hope so. So is this where I shall sleep?"_ She asked pointing towards the garage part of the station.

"In this space yes but I will not allow you to sleep on the floor. I have some junk that I scavenged so give me a minute and I will make you a huge oversized bed." Before she could testify against him working for her he was already off into his little working shack. He quickly came into that garage with a bunch of tools and junk items and gestured her to "Shoo" so that he could work.

She got the message, nodded, and headed outside to sit on the ledge, looking out into what was merely a gaze of what the commonwealth had to offer. She looked at the sunset, her ruby eyes twinkling in the sunlight with that faraway daze that just sets into you.

After a few minutes of goggling the sun she turned when she heard an "All done!" from her partner. She got up and walked over and awed at the sight of a huge bed that made king size beds look like a joke.

" _Wow Atlas you overdid it I think. Thanks so much my friend."_ She stated happily

"Heh, well I made it that big in case you get company." He scratched his head in embarrassment at his attempt at a joke.

" _Very funny Atlas but I don't think any Deathclaw would want me. Especially since I talk and hang around humans."_ She pointed out.

"True. Very true. Uh wait! NO NO I want to rephrase that!" He panicked

"It's not that your unattractive you are probably a model to your kind! I was simply trying to agree that they would be weirded out by the fact that you hang out with humans nothing else I swear! Heh heh…"

She giggled. _"You're too much Atlas don't worry I know what you meant don't hurt yourself."_ She reassured.

"Okay thank Jesus." He said relieved

" _Why were you getting so stressed about it Atlas? I am a monster in your eyes I don't expect you to be so kindred. Its only common sense. I won't be mad cara."_ She said softly

"Well it would be rude to treat you like a monster when you have been treating me fine. Other than throwing me into a rusty car but then again I'm the one who was attacking."

" _Let's not refrain back to that moment. I deeply regret harming you in such a way."_

"I'm glad you feel that way. I'm also glad you're impossible to harm." He chuckled

" _I'm so happy I found you Atlas. I don't know where I would be right now. And thank you once again for this huge bed."_ She stated happily crawling into her massive bed.

"Trust me when I say I am deeply happy and excited that I somehow managed to find someone to talk to that either isn't trying to kill me or isn't trying to rob me. Neutral and evil faces are all I have encountered here. You are the most I could ask for. Minus the claws." He laughed.

Damn. The sun is almost gone. Did they really converse till night? I hope she isn't hungry now. Hopefully Atlas has something to feed her. She might live off of Brahmin or something.

" _That means a lot coming from someone like you Atlas. I mean it."_ She said with satisfaction.

Looking over at the form that was Ruby he watched as she curled up in the bed he made for her and watched as she yawned. Taking this as a sign he turned the big garage light off and turned the little one he had set up in the corner on. He glanced back over at the Deathclaw again and smiled as he walked out and headed up a later he had stationed next to the building. It lead up to the roof where he had a chair, a bunch of tools, and something else. He had been fiddling with it for a while and he decided to continue tonight.

"Damn this thing." He exclaimed.

It was a hunting rifle he had found on the eastern side of concord. It had no receiver but had a large 20x magnification scope. He scavenged more and found a .50 cal receiver and a bunch of mags for the rifle loaded with .50. He thought it would be heaven but he couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with the damn thing. He has plenty of ammo for it so if he could get it to work properly this plus his 10mm would be a god sent.

I don't know why but I like snipers. Always have. They just seem fit and right to me. Especially a big ass round like the .50.

After further tinkering he decided to load it and test it again.

"Come on ya bastard…" He whispered aiming it into the distance shoving the bolt forward loading a .50 cal.

He breathed slowly as he inched his finger towards the trigger. He could already feel the recoil from the massive round. He knew he could handle it.

 **CLK**

He exhaled angrily and followed it up with a, "Seriously?!"

He unloaded the rifle and once again got to work on the rifle. The damned thing was in pretty good condition but god almighty would it not fire.

"Is the damn pin even hitting the primer? I swear to the heavens if it was the pin this whole t-"

"…"

"…"

"It's the fucking pin." He stated with an annoyed and stale tone.

"I'm going to hang myself."

He opened up his box and started getting to work on replacing the pin.

After about 10 minutes of replacing and making sure everything else is okay he loaded it and set it up like it was before. He once again aimed into the distance and inhaled slowly. Closing one eye he whispered.

"Please…"

With a loud **PANG** and a screeching noise hinting that he is now deaf, he dropped the rifle on to the floor of the roof and fell back.

"Ffffffuuucckk!" He shouted

He groveled on the roof covering his ears at the loud explosion of a shot.

"Goddamnit I am going to be deaf for the rest of my life!" He exclaimed with much discontent.

Ruby awoke with a start from the loud shot that just occurred. She jumped up and scurried out, sniffing the air and flicking out her tongue trying to figure out what just happened. She looked up towards the roof when she heard Atlas cursing up a storm.

" _What was that? Everything alright?"_ She straightened herself as much as she could to try to get a look at what was going on.

Atlas was going off. Curse after curse after curse. He was not happy. His dumbass should have known better it's a fucking .50 cal for Christ sakes!

She caught a glimpse of him moving about on the floor covering his ears. He must not have heard her. She stretched out her arms as long as she could and managed to grab him. He let it happen still covering his ears. She set him down on the ground and he stood up and started wincing. His hearing was coming back.

She looked at him with great concern and started looking at his form making sure he wasn't damaged.

"I'm fine girl. I just got this sniper working and I didn't anticipate the fact that the bullet I was using was going to be that loud. I knew it was loud but I'm stupid okay…" He was pouting and crossed his arms.

" _Ugh you are such a child. Don't be so stupid next time you fool you had me worried. It awoke me from my slumber and scared the daylights out of me."_ She said with a hint of anger.

"I'm sorry, just… head back to sleep I'm going to go get my stuff. Thanks for checking on me. It shows you care." He stated while heading back towards the ladder.

" _Shut it."_ She mused in embarrassment.

"What me? Never." He spouted while climbing the ladder.

" _I will hurt you. You know that right? I could make you suffer…"_ She stated with a tone that can only be described as true terror.

It was only amusement though no hard feelings.

"NEVA!" He shouted as he reached the top and gathered his belongings.

" _You are lucky I am fine with you. I will make you grovel on the ground worse than that gunshot did."_ She said terrifyingly

"I love you too." He stated. It actually worked which was the worst part as she had no comeback to that. She simply crawled into her bed as he went back down and dropped his stuff off in the main room.

He had done a good job on restoring things here. Generators are running, no back door, all wholes were boarded up and a nice door was put down with some pretty good locks.

He got out of his armor and put on a black tea shirt and some soft shorts. He made his way towards the garage and lifted his arms up to close the massive door.

The Deathclaw looked up at him and saw something on his arm. She leaned in towards it and he closed the big door. He almost hit her in the nose with his arm.

"Whoop! Sorry! Didn't know you'd be that close"

She pointed at something on his arm. "What?" He exclaimed. It was a scar. Not too noticeable but not too faded.

"I have no clue remember. I must have gotten that before the bombs fell."

" _I'm sorry."_ She said sadly putting her head back down.

"Don't worry about it you were just curious. No harm done girl its fine." He stated happily putting on a smile.

"You get a good night's sleep. You deserve it for all the walking you do. I'll see you in the morning." With that he exited the garage and went to his own bed where his slumber awaited him.

 **Break**

At around 4 o'clock in the morning something occurred in the mind of Atlas the sole survivor. He was tossing and turning more and more than usual. He must be dreaming. But with some mumbles every now and again it must be something worse. It must be a nightmare.

 **Break**

"What is this? Why so much blood? What the hell is going on here?" He questioned as he started trailing the blood with his 10 mil holstered and his hunting rifle in hand.

"Whatever this shit belongs to its pretty goddamned big. That's a lot of blood."

He continued following it and soon corpses started piling up. Some were raiders and some were ghouls. Then he noticed something. Initiates were dead too. Brotherhood Initiates. More and more showed as piles of ash and goo started showing up and eventually some bodies of brotherhood knights. Their power armor had large gashes and all of them had these huge rips in the armor where they were disemboweled.

He continued pressing on and on until he saw a foot. A pretty big foot. He slowly looked up and saw the sight of ruby leaning against the wall of a building. True terror amongst his face at the bullet wounds, laser rifle burns, and plasma wounds covering her body. She was hunted down by the brotherhood. He always thought of them as trouble they helped out in so many ways with their power armor. He never thought that they would do something like this.

"No…no no no NO!" He ran towards the body of ruby and started shaking her long arms.

"Why? Why would they do this? Was it because you can talk? I don't understand why they would be so cruel. You were such a kind being. Even if you weren't human you didn't deserve this!" He cried out.

Sobs were all that could be heard as the motionless Deathclaw leaned against the wall.

"NOOOOO-"

It was cut off by him waking up

"AHH!"

His breathing was rushed as if he had run a marathon. He got up and rushed over to the garage where he looked at the bed.

She was still there sound asleep.

"Oh thank the heavens." He sighed relieved

"Well. Always expect the unexpected I suppose." He stated before walking back into his room and going into that awaiting slumber once again.

 **And with that this is the end to chapter 3. Well?**


	4. Chapter 4: First Venture

Chapter 4: First Venture

 **They are off on their first venture out. We'll see what happens. On with the story!**

Atlas awoke slowly with a sad but almost expressionless face. He got up and sat on the edge of the bed looking glum to the floor.

These images won't get out of my head. That nightmare was not fun at all. I'm tired of nightmares man. They really make you feel like shit.

 **FLASHBACK**

"What is this? Why so much blood? What the hell is going on here?" He questioned as he started trailing the blood with his 10 mil holstered and his hunting rifle in hand.

"Whatever this shit belongs to its pretty goddamned big. That's a lot of blood."

He continued following it and soon corpses started piling up. Some were raiders and some were ghouls. Then he noticed something. Initiates were dead too. Brotherhood Initiates. More and more showed as piles of ash and goo started showing up and eventually some bodies of brotherhood knights. Their power armor had large gashes and all of them had these huge rips in the armor where they were disemboweled.

He continued pressing on and on until he saw a foot. A pretty big foot. He slowly looked up and saw the sight of ruby leaning against the wall of a building. True terror amongst his face at the bullet wounds, laser rifle burns, and plasma wounds covering her body. She was hunted down by the brotherhood. He always thought of them as trouble they helped out in so many ways with their power armor. He never thought that they would do something like this.

"No…no no no NO!" He ran towards the body of ruby and started shaking her long arms.

"Why? Why would they do this? Was it because you can talk? I don't understand why they would be so cruel. You were such a kind being. Even if you weren't human you didn't deserve this!" He cried out.

Sobs were all that could be heard as the motionless Deathclaw leaned against the wall.

"NOOOOO-"

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

"That… was just absolutely horrible…" Atlas said repelled.

He swore he could cry. His other nightmares were bad but this one hit him hard. Hit him where he cares. Where it hurts.

"I'm starting to have some doubts on even letting her walk outside after that dream. I don't want her to be hurt!" He said vilified but worried.

He finally decided to stand up from the edge of the bed and started taking off his clothes to put on his armor. He simply wore underwear under his leather and metal outfit as it basically counted as one big suit. Lots of buckling up but hey, it worked.

As he finished with his metal gauntlet he walked outside his room. He opened up the pantry shelf and took the can of potato crisps from before and sat down at the table. He opened up the top and started eating.

"Hopefully this time I won't be attacked by an overgrown lizard" He said with a small chuckle.

It was around 6:50 in the morning when he woke up. He doesn't know why he wakes up as early as he doesn't have a job or anything but he always has woke up this early. That he can remember anyway. Finishing the last few amounts of chips in the can he threw it in the bin to his right.

"Buckets!" He whispered.

The sun was rising. This is a sight to behold. The clouds align perfectly for the rays of sun to hit at certain spots.

"I'll go check on Ruby." He said getting up from his seat and making his way past the dining table to the garage.

"I hope I don't wake h-" He paused as he noticed the figure missing from the bed spot.

The garage door was opened.

He walked outside with a slightly fast pace and proceeded to look around for the Deathclaw.

"Where is she? Maybe on that little peak looking out towards concord. There is a great shot of the sun rise there and I know she likes sights." Atlas had said making his way to this little rock peak in the back of Red Rocket.

 **FLASHBACK**

"In this space yes but I will not allow you to sleep on the floor. I have some junk that I scavenged so give me a minute and I will make you a huge oversized bed." Before she could testify against him working for her he was already off into his little working shack. He quickly came into that garage with a bunch of tools and junk items and gestured her to "Shoo" so that he could work.

She got the message, nodded, and headed outside to sit on the ledge, looking out into what was merely a gaze of what the commonwealth had to offer. She looked at the sunset, her ruby eyes twinkling in the sunlight with that faraway daze that just sets into you.

After a few minutes of goggling the sun she turned when she heard an "All done!" from her partner

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

"I assume so. She ogled the sun for quite a while."

Atlas made his way over to the peak. Sure enough he saw her. The draconic figure out of a fantasy novel was sitting on the little ledge staring her exquisite ruby eyes towards the everlasting rise of the sun.

Hearing the footsteps she turned her head and saw the armored human walking over to her.

She smiled a smile that seemed as if it was from a movie or cartoon or something. She had her eyes closed while she smiled. Why? It was kind of cute I suppose.

" _Well good morning Atlas! I did not think you would be up so early. I expected you to be up two hours later."_ She greeted.

"Good morning as well. I don't know why I get up so early but I do. It's not a bad thing but it's not a good thing either. How come you're up?"

" _You want the honest truth?"_ She said facing back towards the sun.

"Of course. I would never lie to you and I would hope you wouldn't lie to me."

" _I was sound asleep till about this time when I heard you scream. I was worried as you sounded pretty terrified but I thought you merely had a bad dream. I heard you open up the door into the room and I could sense you peering in and looking at me. You appeared… relieved after that. I guess I didn't fall asleep after that. It had me thinking."_ She stated steadily turning her gaze back to the human who was now sitting next to her looking at the same sun she was just gazing upon.

"I uh. I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for it really. I did have a nightmare though. You were right about that and the relief." He stated.

" _Mm. Will you tell me about your nightmare? Why you were relieved to see me?"_ She questioned slightly tilting her head.

Atlas said nothing. He put on that expressionless face staring out into the souls of the commonwealth. She would see this face often in the future.

" _Atlas?"_ she barked out.

"No. I don't want to talk about it. It was a nightmare simple as that. It messed me up but I'm fine now. It's all I could think about I don't wish to bring it up again." He argued.

" _It won't be truly off your chest until you come to terms with it Cara. Just please tell me. I'm worried."_ She said with a sound of worry.

"…"

"Fine." He complied.

"You know that you are the first pers- uh… being to talk to me and not try to kill me since before the bombs. So I decided that I would try to make you my companion. It worked thank the gods but we have each other now. As partners I shall protect you till the end. We will accomplish a lot together. I had a dream where I was tracking blood. Lots of it. Bodies were littered everywhere. Brotherhood initiates, knights, dead. Completely gutted and eviscerated. I followed the blood till it led to a sight I never wanted to see. I…"

"…" he fell silent looking down towards the ground as the sun continued to rise.

" _Please Atlas, mo chara, please tell me what you saw."_ She pleaded

"I saw… you Ruby. You had bullet wounds, laser burns, plasma damage, and plenty of gashes. You were leaning against a building and when I came over. Y-you were dead in m-my arms. I lost everything again. A true Atlas." he broke out. He wasn't sobbing. Not even a crying tone in his voice. He was simply normal except for the flow of tears falling down his cheeks.

" _O-Oh my. I deeply apologize… I didn't realize it would be that b-"_

She was cut off but a certain action that surprised her once again. The Deathclaw was taken aback by the man jumping up from his seat and embracing her in a hug. A tight one for a mere human.

"I don't know what I would do if I had actually found you in such a state! I promised myself I would protect YOU! You are all I've got!" he shouted with tears still falling.

He nestled his face into the large scaly creature. She slowly wrapped her arms around the smaller form of Atlas letting him vent.

" _Aww my little baby Atlas. What would I do without my big, strong protector?"_ She said with a hint of sarcasm.

Atlas laughed into her chest. She chuckled back.

" _You don't need to devote yourself to me. Remember I am a Deathclaw, I can handle myself rather well. Don't worry Atlas, I'll be fine. I'd never leave you like that. Not in a lifetime mo chara."_ She exclaimed in a soothing tone.

"I know. I know. Sorry Ruby." He got out of the embrace and wiped his tears with his arm.

He stood up and gave a final look at the sun.

"Let's go." He motioned her over. "You should eat before we get moving. There's a place I want to check out."

" _He is so caring. I wish more people were like him_." She thought to herself. She got up and made her way over to Atlas where they walked side by side to the garage door. They entered the garage.

"Can you eat human food or do you hate the taste?" He questioned heading into the kitchen.

" _I'm fine with whatever you can supply. It may not be able to fill me up like a Brahmin but anything will do."_ She explained.

"Fill me up. That's what she said." He snickered quietly so he couldn't be heard.

He opened up this little shelf that was in the corner and grabbed some meat that was hanging on a hook.

"I have a bunch of raw dog meat from when this place was attacked. You fine with that?"

" _Oh yes I'll gladly take that. Thank you so much! What about you Atlas? What shall you eat?"_

Atlas walked over and handed her the meats. "I won't be eating anything. I just had crisps so I'm good. I don't need to eat too much. I'll be outside while you eat. Try not to make a huge bloody mess okay? It sucks ass trying to clean blood." He waved as he exited the Gas station.

" _I hope you'll be okay."_ She said in her solitude.

She started making quick work of the raw dog meat. Wasn't too hard with her huge razor sharp teeth but she had to eat carefully as to not dirty everything.

After a couple quick minutes she finished her meal and cleaned her hands with her tongue.

Animals.

She started looking around the humble abode and she found many interesting things. A bunch of posters, a bobble head, a few Knick knacks and pieces of junk no doubt for modifications, and something that caught her attention. A bright note shone in the back of sunlight. She picked it up and opened it. She knew how to read. She loved books but that was only because that's all she had in containment.

Atlas. If you forget, always keep this note nearby. I wrote this for myself in times of doubt and fear. You have had no one. You are no one. However, you are something with this being. You have someone in this being. Ruby will be everything you have. She is all you have from now to the end of your existence. So always remember that even if you feel everything is over, live for her. Make sure that nothing is done in vain.

Atlas to yourself.

A single tear fell from her bright ruby eyes. Picture that. A Deathclaw crying. That's a sight you'll never see.

" _What did I do to deserve a friend like him? He has to be the best thing that has happened to me."_ She sobbed.

She set the note back down and closed it. She calmed herself and wiped the tear away. Straightening her situation she went out of the garage, closing the door behind her. She turned and saw Atlas with his left metal gauntlet hand on his hip, slightly leaning to the left, smiling as the sun was barely above him.

"You ready to go?"

She couldn't do anything else but smile. After a few moments she proceeded to ask, _"Where to?"_

"I plan on going to a city nearby. It's a longer walk than usual but nothing compared to what you went through. It's a place called Lexington." He informed her.

" _Sounds good. Let's hope it's not too bad there."_

"We will have to move southeast from here. We will pass a diner that I spotted on my map and we should then reach Lexington. It's not hard to miss." He stated pointing towards his pip boy.

"Let's get a move on" He motioned to follow.

Ruby nodded and made her way to his side. The two started off on their short venture to Lexington.

A few minutes pass by from the walking. They ran into a few blood bugs but Atlas picked them off with his 10 mil.

Soon they could see the diner in the distance. Atlas marked it on his map.

" _What is that on your wrist Cara?"_ She asked intrigued.

"Hm? Oh it's a pip boy. It's a wrist computer that shows me my health status, my condition on my armor, and my radiation meter. It has a map too. It is a nifty little tool." He informed her

" _Ah I see. That is very interesting and helpful."_ She stated.

Atlas continued to walk in the assigned direction and didn't even bother looking towards the diner.

" _Atlas are we not going to investigate that diner? There could be foodstuffs in there."_ She questioned looking towards the diner.

"I didn't really plan on it but I guess we can look." He shifted his advance over to the diner's entrance.

Making his way to the door he opened in and barely made a step inside when a pipe revolver was nudged up against his temple.

"Move another inch and I watch your brain explode mother fucker." Said the man in a threatening tone.

Without thinking Atlas ducking and shoved his hand into the side of the gun, causing it to fire and miss its target. He grabbed the arm of the assailant and brought his fist against the side of his arm, hearing a loud and audible crack was all he needed to hear before the sound of the gun dropping and screaming consumed the air.

"GAHHH! OH MY GOD!" the man screamed.

Atlas kicked the man on the floor and watched him scurry outside holding his broken arm. He was backed into the outside wall of the diner. Atlas drew his 10 mil and pointed it at the man's head using that same expressionless face.

"AHHH NO WAIT! Spare me please! PLEASE! I just wanted some food to feed my wife! This was the only place I knew that had food! I swear I thought you were a synth or a raider. Please don't kill me!" The man begged and pleaded.

Ruby neared close to atlas hearing the sudden gunshot and brawl.

" _What happened Atlas?!"_ she asked.

"He tried to kill me. Simple as that." He kept his gun trained on his head. His .50 cal hunting rifle still resting on his back.

" _But he is begging and pleading. You heard him. He just wanted food for his mate. Let him go. I don't think he meant any true harm."_ She reasoned. In the back you could hear the man "Holy fuck the lizard can talk"

Atlas turned and looked at Ruby with that face. Why does he use that face so often. His emerald eyes giving off a fearful demeanor. He then turned back to the man, grabbed his broken arm and put it back into its right place. Hearing the man scream didn't even phase him.

"Grab your shit and go. If I so much as smell you around me again, I will put a .50 through your fucking head and feed your wife to the ghouls." He threatened.

The man rushed his stuff out of the diner and booked it into the commonwealth. Atlas walked into the diner and started grabbing some food as well.

Ruby was completely thrown off by his sudden aggressive nature. This wasn't like him. Was it? Her maw was agape from the exasperating moment.

He wasn't antisocial was he? Has he been through so much that he has little to no tolerance for others? I hope he will be alright.

She collected her thoughts and waited outside for him to return.

Atlas was gathering most of the foodstuffs and shoving them in his pack. He kept that same expression. Nothing.

He did not like the world. Ruby was his one exception.

After a few minutes of rummaging about he put his pack on and walked out of the diner not saying a word.

Atlas was a very apathetic man that's for certain. Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and concern. Apathy is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, and/or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical and/or physical life and the world.

The apathetic may lack a sense of purpose, worth, or meaning in their life. An apathetic person may also exhibit insensibility or sluggishness.

Ruby made her way behind him and eventually made it to his side.

The walk for a couple of minutes was quiet. What were they thinking?

I just realized it would be very hard to go on a stealth mission with Ruby because of her heavy set footsteps.

" _An tUasal? Mo chara are you okay?"_ she said worried.

Atlas said nothing and merely had a blank expression moving towards the location marked on his map.

She put her giant clawed hand out in front of Atlas and stopped him.

" _What is with you Atlas_ _mo stór_?" She said with a tiny hint of aggression.

"Nothing. Why are you so worried?" He looked confused. Is he faking?

" _You showed almost no heart for that man back there. He was simply trying to help his wife. Picture it as you trying to get food for your parents. You'd want to make it home safely with the necessities. He was just being precautious."_

"That would be relevant if my parents weren't dead." He said coldly

" _I understand that you view the world in such a negative light but just look at me. I'm a beast yet you made a friend out of me. Open up and stop being so emotionless. Please."_ She tried to explain

"You are special though Ruby. This world isn't. I have no reason to show any empathy for the Earth that we walk on." He stated.

She sighed with a slight whimper at her failed attempt.

"Don't be like that. It will change nothing between us. It only affects others. Don't dwell too much on it please."

His pip boy vibrated and flashed a little. He grew near the destination of Lexington.

"There it is. Lexington." He basked in the sunlight. It was around 1 pm.

"Well. Let's get to it." He stretched out his hand.

"We will clear this city of scum and loot whatever we can. You have my back and I have yours."

"I will always be there for you mo stór" she said with a smile.

This will be the first venture. Going into Lexington. Little do they know what surprises will be in store for the pair.

 **FINISHED WITH CHAPTER 4! Well? How'd I do? Next chapter will be all about Lexington.**


	5. Chapter 5: Lexington

Chapter 5: Lexington

 **To answer a question before it's asked. The random Irish bits are there because I've always had a passion to learn Irish Gaelic so I just kind of added it into the story. Anyways, onwards.**

Ahh the town of Lexington. It's a complete shithole from what we can see. Buildings still remain and some still stand tall and firm. The grounds are littered with nature's trash and worst of all, ashes.

Ashes to ashes. It seems like one big black city. Clouds seem to cover Lexington putting a dark tone overtop the city yet when you look around everywhere else is drizzling in sunlight. It's as if the gods themselves are saying don't go to this city. But yet here we are. Seems so different from when it was first made in 1642.

With his .50 cal slinged over his shoulder and his 10 mil holstered, Atlas walks up towards a peak and peers into the ever bleak city. Gloom, sadness, despair. He could only imagine what could dwell within the city.

"I won't be imagining for long." He said turning his head around to see ruby behind him staring at the very same city.

" _What a dreadful looking place. And this is where we want to explore Atlas?"_ She looked back at him and slightly turned her head waiting for a response.

Atlas turned his attention back to the city. The never ending cloud of depression and gloom just seems to sit above the city. Who knows who could've lived there before the bombs? His parents would kick his ass for going into such a place.

He was lost in thought. This city is really bugging him. Who knows what kind of trances it will put him in once he gets closer to it?

" _An bhfuil tú ceart go leor_ _mo stór?"_ She questioned further.

Atlas shook his head and snapped out of the trance state that he was in. He fully turns around and walks towards Ruby.

"Sorry. I zoned out for a second there. What does that mean? I don't know what language that was but it's very intriguing." Atlas said puzzled.

" _Don't apologize to me. I simply worry. As for the language you'd laugh if I told you but I said 'Are you okay m-'"_

"…" She has ceased her translation.

She started blushing from the sudden realization of what she had said.

"What? What was the last part?"

" _Oh my goodness. I maybe, accidentally said my… my dear. I meant my friend which is 'mo chara' but it seemed to slip."_ She said all flustered.

Atlas burst into laughter. "You all embarrassed about that? Don't worry about it its fine I know what you meant." He reassured.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. She thought he would have took it in the wrong perspective. Her relief was cut off really quick I'm afraid.

Atlas took this as a chance to mess with the Deathclaw further.

"You know Ruby… you said mo stór once before now that I think back to it. You didn't seem to catch it that time. Maybe I already grew on you." He let an evil smirk form as he turned his back to the now flushed and bewildered Ruby.

Her mouth was wide open in the sudden surprise presented before her. She was so ticked that she formed a fist and as lightly as she could, hit Atlas on the top of his head.

 **BONK**

"Ow!" he recoiled from the hit. It hurt a bit. "Heyyy. You didn't have to hit me." He crossed his arms and seemed to pout.

This was her chance.

" _Aww poor baby Atlas. Are you okay? Did it hurt?"_ She said as if she were a mother talking to her crying baby.

She leant in with a fake concerned face.

Atlas put a hand on her snout and lightly pushed her back.

"Let us go crazy. Wouldn't want to waste daylight we won't even see." Atlas spouted now walking away from the peak and towards the city.

She chuckled at her success and followed behind.

The sole survivor and an intelligent Deathclaw. Who would have thought?

On the day the world ends

A bee circles a clover,

A fisherman mends a glimmering net.

Happy porpoises jump in the sea,

By the rainspout young sparrows are playing

And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.

On the day the world ends

Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,

A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,

Vegetable peddlers shout in the street

And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,

The voice of a violin lasts in the air

And leads into a starry night.

And those who expected lightning and thunder

Are disappointed.

And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps

Do not believe it is happening now.

As long as the sun and the moon are above,

As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,

As long as rosy infants are born

No one believes it is happening now.

Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet

Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy,

Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:

There will be no other end of the world,

There will be no other end of the world.

Warsaw, 1944

This spoke volume in his mind. He had read this poem at the large collection of articles and books in his room. It fits the world perfectly. Another poem he had read really called out to him. This spoke everything about him. Who he now was.

Today was nothing more than a woeful echo of my life yesterday.  
And the same is true for every day I have lived ever since I gave up.

I don't remember what led me down this lonely desolate path of nihilism, of self-destruction.

I don't recall a time I felt differently.  
Blank mind. Blank walls.

So I wait, stoic, numb, as silence descends upon me.

Atlas peers back at ruby and saw something shimmer. It wasn't the same ruby color that he had seen before. It was a clear almost blue shimmer. It was a tear.

Little did he know he had recited the whole poem out loud. He turned back forward and put on a slight apologetic expression.

Lexington was only a few meters away.

"Sorry Ruby. Let's forget what I just said. Don't bring it up. It will only worsen things." He stated.

She simply nodded. She did not wipe the tear away. She lets it remain to stain her face. Question is, why?

Atlas stops and drops to the ground in a prone position. He started grabbing dirt and placing it in front of him, building a mound almost.

He proceeded to swing the .50 off his shoulder and got it ready, pulling the bolt back and chambering a .50 in the receiver. He laid on his belly and put the guard of the gun on the mound for support and aimed down sights.

The sudden movements and actions seemed to startle Ruby se she shifted her figure down to appear a little smaller than standing straight up.

"Come here." Atlas spouted out as an order.

In the entrances of the city he could see figures shuffling around. He looked through the scope and saw many more popping up from alleys and even some from the ground.

"Ghouls." He despises ghouls. He doesn't care about the ones that are still civilized but the ones who are rotted corpses who feed on other corpses he can't stand.

" _I can smell them. Want me to take care of them?"_ She asked moving towards him.

"Stand over me. Kneel if you have to. As if you were protecting a fallen friend. Then do me a favor and cup your hands and wrap them around the sides of my head." He gestures towards his ears.

She cupped her large hands and covered his ears and most of the back of his head. One of her fingered covered his left eye but that didn't matter. He needed to shut it anyway to focus down the sights.

 _"I don't know Atlas this seems weird. What is you are doing?"_ She flustered a bit but was very confused as to what the man was making her do.

 **BAKOW!**

Atlas unleashed a large .50 cal into the head of a bloated ghoul shambling near the entrance way.

Ruby was startled a bit but the loud noise doesn't bother her. Her ears are better than that of a humans but they weren't as sensitive.

 _He must have wanted be to reduce the noise for him to be able to fire the weapon._ She thought to herself.

Atlas rechambered another round. He started popping off shot after shot. The ghouls were clueless as to what was going on. The noise was loud enough to be heard but from the large building the sound seemed to ricochet off the buildings so the ghouls never really knew were the shots origin point was.

Atlas kept firing and reloaded his weapon and continued firing again. Watching as his targets were dropping like flies.

 **POW!  
BAKOW! **

**PANG!**

Soon he couldn't really see any more movement. He opened his left eye and tapped the hands of Ruby.

She got the signal and removed her hands and carefully moved away from Atlas.

Atlas got up and picked up his rifle, empty mags and bullets cases. He wore that expressionless face.

"Any stragglers we should be able to take care off easy." He said putting his items into his bag and slinging his rifle back on his shoulder.

He got everything together and made his way towards the entrance of Lexington. He would soon see the littered bodies of ghouls that would be either missing it head or have a big ass hole in the ghoul.

Ruby awkwardly followed behind the apathetic sole survivor. He was a skilled marksman indeed but why does his mood seem to sway so quickly. One minute he seems to be upset, the next he is rather playful, then serious and stern. He is something else indeed.

" _Atlas. You worry me greatly when your moods seem to transition like that of a female that's ovulating. Why not lighten up a bit?"_ she questioned

"Why do you care so much Ruby? I do not care for this place. The commonwealth is a shithole and I'd much rather just stay to myself and survive for as long as I can. It's who I am. It will never change. Why does it matter to you? I won't treat you any different. You are an untouched diamond at the bottom of a mineshaft. I wouldn't try to hurt you purposely and I can tell you know that." He spouted looking up towards the sky watching as clouds slowly pass.

Does she really know? Would he try to hurt her?

Doubtful.

"Why are you so pressing towards me having empathy and care for things. If I care for you that should be enough right?" He asked in a mere quieter tone as to try not to offend.

" _Because I for one want to see the world returned to the state in which it was before. I want every creature to be happy and that can't happen if the Enclave are free to roam. I just want all of those who do evil deeds for their own gain to suffer a thousand deaths in the depths hell. Enclave, Raiders, Legionaries, Super Mutants, and any more that stand in the way of the rebirth of civilization. There is only one problem with my dream and… It's that…"_ she ranted but stopped.

"Go ahead. Don't be afraid." He assured her slightly bringing his sight towards the large figure behind him.

She hesitated but nodded. _"Even though peace would be heavenly, I wouldn't be in anyone's Utopia. I am a monster. I would have to sacrifice myself in order for-"_

Atlas stopped and stretched his hand out as far as he could and put it over her mouth.

"No. Shut it. No more. I wouldn't roll with that and you damn well know it. It's a good dream and I would be willing to help you accomplish such a thing miss pacifist but I simply will not allow you to lay down your life for this dream. Forget about it because if you do, you would have to watch over me from the heavens as I live in everlasting pain and misery. Despair would follow suit before eventually death would come knocking at the door."

He paused before finalizing his statement.

"It's a dream I will pursue with you but I won't let harm follow. You are a brave warrior and I, Atlas, am your shield." He seemed to almost bow.

With that Atlas turned and started passing by the dead bodies of ghouls he had shot minutes ago. They were at Lexington.

Atlas had heard rumors from some minuteman that Lexington was run by raiders at one point but ever since ghouls started showing, most of the raiders left.

Ruby was bewildered by his statement. But she was also very pleased that Atlas would be there to help her throughout the quest.

She soon followed roughly behind Atlas but almost close to his right side. She looked at the bodies of the feral ghouls and snorted in distaste. She really hated the bloated ghoul, it looks as if it had been injected with fluids till it turned into a huge balloon.

Roughly 45 seconds into walking the straight road into Lexington and a whistle was heard. It was long and wasn't stopping.

Soon enough the dark and gloomy streets and buildings were filled with a bright red and orange fire it a sharp and thunderous boom.

Sure enough in the distance Atlas looked up and saw a mushroom forming.

 **FLASHBACK**

"Everyone on the platform now!" The vault security guard had shouted. "Move it Shepard!"

"What's going on?!" One women asked.

"No fucking clue!" answered a man.

"I heard something about bombs." Said a very calm and familiar man. He wore a very expressionless face. His suit had Shepard posted on the top left side.

"BOMBS!? What are you on about Dom!" shouted another women.

Before someone could respond to her, a large mushroom cloud started to form. The blinding light making everyone cringe and cover their eyes. Soon after a much louder and more thunderous boom quaked the earth.

"Send them down now!"

 **FLASHBACK END**

Atlas stopped in his tracks and his eyes bulged. Complete and utter shock took control of Atlas and as fast as he could he turned to his left and ran into a nearby alleyway.

Ruby awed at the display of red, yellow, and orange as it formed a tiny mushroom cloud. She looked to her left and saw Atlas disappearing into an alleyway.

" _Atlas!"_ She shouted.

Atlas couldn't hear her. He could only sense fear and have that flashback play in his head over and over.

He continued sprinting and glancing at the colors chasing him down the alleys. He made turns and eventually went inside a destroyed pharmacy store. He shambled his way into the back and sat in the corner trembling.

" _No."_ She whispered to herself. She got into her stance and took off. She followed the footsteps made by Atlas which were still formed in the ashes of the dead. She darted around corners, her smaller figure allowing her to be super agile. Well… for death claw standards.

She saw the footsteps lead into a nearly destroyed building. It's a surprise the building was still standing with a roof. It had about ten other stories on the building.

The entrance was completely destroyed with a large hole which was now the door. The first and third floors had joined into one giant room. It seems as if getting to the fourth floor wouldn't be easy without a rappel.

She eased her way into the hole and was able to stand thanks to ruins of the first three floors.

She smelled the air and listened to what sounded as some whimpering and quaking.

She started looking around and found that familiar scent. It was Atlas.

Ruby collected her thoughts and went to the back of the shop where the scent seemed to reminisce. There was the man, seen as an almost stoic figure, with one soft spot, and he was trembling in fear, crying and sobbing.

She said nothing and simply sat on her haunches. She pulled Atlas into her in a warm embrace. He was shaking vigorously almost as if he had spent the night out in a blizzard. She squeezed slightly trying to show him that she is here and that he is not alone.

The silence was broken. The apathetic survivor finally spoke.

"I… I remember!" He stuttered out still quaking in his feet.

"I was on a platform! Going into the vault! I saw it… the explosion… oh my god." He sobbed out.

"The ground shook and the light was blinding, soon after our ears were deafened by the loud and thunderous boom. The atomic bomb…"

"I watched as our world came to an end. I swear it."

Atlas stopped talking and squeezed as hard as he could muster. Ruby wasn't going to end the embrace, not until his fear had passed.

" _You are quite strong for a mere human."_ She mused.

" _Tá sé ceart go leor_ _a bhuanchara_ _im anseo_ _."_ She reassured applying a tighter squeeze.

Atlas had no memories of before the bombs. He simply knew stuff that made sense. He had parents obviously, it seems he left them before the bombs considering his destroyed house had one room which was actually used. Seeing that mini nuke go off must have conjured a memory from his past. One that obviously wasn't pleasant.

Seeing that nuke go off really must have scared Atlas before so seeing it again… well who wouldn't be scared?

" _I don't think the world really came to an end. Yes there may be very dangerous creatures out there like me for example but, humans are still around and proud. They just need a little push in the right direction for everyone to rebuild. For peace to reach from New California to Boston. You and me. We can do it. I believe in you Atlas."_ She said softly peering down into his form still clinging on like a boy would his mother.

"W-what was that Rue? It wasn't as l-loud as the ones before." He stuttered out.

" _I've seen it before. Someone managed to make a catapult type weapon in order to fire miniature nuke munitions. The brotherhood uses them to take out Behemoths all of the time in D.C."_ she stated sharply

A few seconds after her previous statement she giggled. _"Wait a minute Atlas did you just call me Rue?"_

This really lightened up Atlas. "Heh, yeah I guess I did. Sorry."

She giggled once more. _"No its fine. I kind of like it. Not as impactful as Ruby I'm afraid but I like Rue. Just don't use it too much."_

Atlas eased up a little on the hug. "I'm glad you're here with me. I'm okay now."

She hesitated slightly and eventually let go of Atlas.

Atlas stepped back a bit and let her form get up. She stretched out a little bit and looked back at Atlas.

"Let's go see why the weapon was being used." He stated gesturing her to follow.

He didn't even need to gesture as she was on his tail. She needed to take out whatever it was that caused him such trauma so there wasn't a repeated session.

"If you said that the brotherhood use that weapon it could be them. Then again it could also be raiders." Atlas stated sharply.

Atlas started retracing his steps from when he ran. He feels pretty pathetic for running and crying as if he were a kid. He's 22 for Christ's sake why would he do that?

He eventually made it back to the spot where the light had appeared.

"Ruby you go around that building there where I originally saw the explosion appear and I will go inside this building to our left and make my way to the roof. Maybe it will give me a better chance to see what I'm looking at." He points towards the locations where each should head.

" _I don't agree with your plan. Splitting up is not going to help me try to protect you."_ She said in a pretty ticked tone.

Atlas waved his sniper around. "Heh, don't worry about me. I've got your back this time. Plus you're fast as shit and agile as a mother fucker. I would know you dodged me pretty hard back at the station." He stated whole heartedly

" _I told you not to refer to that time. Whatever."_ She points at Atlas. _"Be careful or you'll deal with me."_ That voice was pure terror.

Atlas put his hands up in a surrendering fashion and started walking towards a tall building to the left. He turned the corner and found the back door up into the building. He sighed, opened the door and entered.

Ruby snorted and proceeded down the gloomy streets filled with death. Ashes were everyone littering the street. Dead ghouls; fresh, old, bloated, withered, and some even glowing were just lying around. They were dead and she could tell not only by their smell but some had huge holes in their heads and chests.

She lowered her figure and decided to stick to the shadows of the buildings. It was around 4 pm but for some reason this city looks as if its 11 pm. She is going to have to use all of her senses in order to make it through unscathed.

 **BREAK**

Atlas made it through the first 4 floors easy. Sucks that the elevator doesn't work. He has to go through all 7 other floors and find the stairs leading up to the next.

The floors were all the same minus the first. All had little cubicles and office type setups with drawers and file cabinets. Terminals were absolutely everywhere.

Atlas started grabbing some random junk items he saw like desk fans and clocks. He could use the raw materials later on. He found some caps as well. Never know when they will come in handy.

He put the bag back on and drew out his 10 mil. He was on edge feeling a little suspicious as to why the first 4 floors were clear.

He heard some shambling from one of the little cubicles. He knew what it could potentially be so he backed up and proceeded to throw some random items from the ground at the cubicle.

Sad part is that it worked. He heard some more shuffling and eventually a groan.

"Ghoul" he stated annoyingly

He watched as a shadow formed from out behind the cubicle and saw its decayed and withered body. It tried to scream at him but it was all scratchy and deep.

Atlas didn't hesitate before putting three rounds of lead down range and straight into the ghouls head. He could hear the bullets shred the nasty and decayed skin and watched as nasty old almost brown blood spurted out from the bullet holes.

After the body hit the ground with a thud he heard more groaning, moaning and screeching.

"Oh shit biscuits." Atlas knew there must have been a shit ton in the building. He should've used his knife.

They started coming down the stairs from the far back of the room. Probably from the upper floors. Considering his shots probably reached the damn roof. It was so quiet you could breath and someone would hear you from a few blocks away.

"Fuck here we go." He started hurling lead down range and into the bodies of ghouls. They were jumping and limping around like a bunch of maniacs on psycho.

 **POW  
POW  
BANG  
BANG**

He had to take out at least thirteen ghouls before he heard his gun click.

"Fuck shit god dammit not now!" He exclaimed

He holstered his 10 mil and attempted to grab his combat knife in its pouch before being pounced on by a ghoul.

It screamed in his face while Atlas grabbed its neck so it wouldn't take a chunk out of his face.

Atlas reached to his left and grabbed the knife out of its sheath.

"GRRHH BRING IT BITCH!" He shouted clenching his teeth and shoved his knife into the side of the head of the decayed ghoul.

For extra measures he twisted it to the left and right and watched as the eyes of the ghoul seemed to roll back into its head. He must have corkscrewed his brains out.

Atlas pulled the knife out and threw his body to the left and into a cubicle. He stood up and wiped the blood on his metal sleeve. After sheathing the blade back into its case he looked back at his sleeve and noticed little claw marks made into the metal.

Due to the marks he turned and looked at his exposed right arm and saw his blood dripping out from a scratch wound.

"Oh well fuck me huh?" He grabbed a little rag out from his bag and wiped the blood off.

"It's not a bad scratch but it's not a good one either. No point in wasting meds on this thing. Best get a move on." He informed himself and stretched a little bit.

He checked the ground and made sure he had everything. He drew his 10mil, reloaded and put the empty mag into his bag. He made his way to the other floors.

 **BREAK**

Ruby had already taken care of a few ghouls during her route towards the explosion. She noticed a few little tiny craters in the middle of the roads during her little venture.

She inched from behind a building and saw what looked like a bridge that connected one building to another. There was a tiny little dim light that barely illuminated it. She watched the bridge to see if there was any activity on it.

She quickly checked her surroundings again and saw a bunch of dead ghouls including limbs scattered on the ground near the bridge.

She gasped at the realization. _"Someone must patrol on that man-made bridge and saw a lot of ghouls so they must've launched a miniature bomb at them."_ Before she could even finish her statement she saw a really bright light start to shine from an entrance way on one side of the bridge. She heard faint but loud footsteps soon follow with some whirring sounds.

" _I know that sound. Metal. Power armor! Enclave?! Brotherhood?!"_ she exclaimed in surprise and continued staring at the light moving ever so close. She then saw it. It was a very rusty and scavenged power armor suit. She watched as the person walked towards another person dressed in what looked like raider fatigues. They looked like they were talking.

The power suit person was holding that weapon. That catapult weapon.

" _So it's raiders then. There the ones that made Atlas hide in fear. I'll kill them all."_ She hissed watching them converse.

Gunshots were heard. Many more gunshots followed and echoed around the streets of Lexington. The two raiders and Ruby looked in the direction of the shots.

" _Please. Don't let that be Atlas. Please."_ She pleaded.

 **BREAK**

Atlas had finally made it to the roof. He found some more junk, munitions, and caps from the floors but what really surprised him was the bright light looking in the direction of the building he was on. The source of the light was quite far off but it still shone bright. He put two cotton balls in his ears for the upcoming action.

He swung the rifle off his shoulders. He crouched down and turned off the safety. He closed his left eye and peered through the crystal clear optics and saw the black lines of the cross hair line up.

"No fuckin way." He was bewildered to see a raider in full scavenged power armor.

He knew what to do.

"These guys are history."

 **BREAK**

Ruby turned her attention back to the two men over on the bridge. They had their firearms at the ready and were scouting ahead in the distance. The one in armor had his sights fixed on the building that Atlas said he was going in. She followed up the building and saw something glint in the darkness.

 **BAKOW!**

She flinched at the sound of the familiar shot. She looked back over at the men who were both still standing. She noticed something about the one in the suit. He didn't even flinch at the sound of the shot. She looked closer and noticed a liquid pouring out from the visor.

It was blood.

Atlas had shot him right in the visor and the .50 caliber round buried itself into the man's skull. Blood poured out from the hole until eventually the full suited man fell onto the ground but she heard something after he hit the ground. It sounded like a trigger mechanism.

A loud whistle sound was starting to be heard.

" _No. No, no, NO! Atlas get down now!"_ She shouted with enough force to level a building.

Atlas was already a step ahead of her and already on the 9th floor. Even if the situation wasn't the way it was he wasn't planning on staying up there any longer. The muzzle flash from his gun revealed his position to the entire city so he knew he had to move. Hearing her scream only made him move faster

Atlas made it to the 7th floor and peered out a window with his rifle and followed up his shot onto the other raider. The raider dropped faster than the sound from the rifle. Aiming out Atlas saw a black object hurling towards the 10th floor. It had red lights on it. Ruby ran towards the building as fast as she could. He pulled the cotton out of his ears.

" _Get out of there now Atlas!"_ she shouted once more sprinting towards the building.

Atlas stocked everything together and put his rifle back on over his shoulder. "Be ready Ruby! I need to you catch me I am going to jump!" If I time this right that is.

" _I swear I'm going to kill you Atlas!"_ she yelled out angrily.

"I'm jumping out from my left your right! It will be a drive by catch! Ready!?"

She growled angrily.

"NOW!" he shouted

Atlas jumped straight out the window getting his right arm cut even worse from shards of glass.

Ruby used all her might and launched herself into the air. She reached her arm out and pulled the man into her chest before letting her second arm cup him. She landed with a loud crack to the earth and took off as fast as she could.

It soon became bright with yellow and orange. Thunderous booms and cracks shook the city as the mini nuke hit and leveled the building starting to form a large and rather dusty mushroom cloud.

Atlas nuzzled himself into her chest as she high tailed it back out of Lexington. They passed by the entrance and made it back to the little peak where they had sat for a bit. She put him down and he quivered slightly. Atlas took off his bag and shouldered off his rifle and set them near a huge rock.

Ruby straightened herself up and peered at Atlas who was looking at the ground.

" _Don't…EVER do that again! You scared the shit out of me! I told you to get out of there but you took the time to shoot the other raider! YOU COULD HAVE MADE IT OUT WITH OUT JUMPING!"_ She regained her breath.

" _What if I couldn't have caught you?! And what if-"_ She noticed his right arm soaking in blood.

Atlas got up without a word and started grabbing chunks or wood from their surroundings and placing it in a pile. He reached inside his bag and pulled out a lighter and some lighter fluid. He put some on the fire, lit it, and then put his items away. After making sure it would stay lit for a while he sat down near it.

"I'm sorry. There was no other way. Forgive me. I wouldn't have made it if I didn't jump. His nerves must have pulled the trigger on his launcher. He wouldn't have known where I was if it wasn't for some ghouls I had encountered." He clings onto his arm. He's desperate not to waste supplies on himself as they could be used for a more threatening situation.

"Are you hurt? Any debris hit you?" he asked desperately trying to get off topic.

" _You are one to ask such a question. Look at your arm! We need to treat that now!"_

She grabbed his bag and carefully emptied it looking for the medical equipment. She paused when she felt Atlas grab her hand.

"No. Leave it. It was from some glass. It's not serious enough to waste stims and meds on."

" _Have you lost it? Look at that wound! You'll die from either blood loss or infection if you don't treat it."_ She said in a worried yet ticked tone.

She continued rummaging through his items till she found a few little shot devices that she remembered the Enclave using whenever they hurt her. They worked very well so she knew she only needed one for him.

Ruby retracted her claws a bit to get her hands just a tad bit smaller. She picked up the shot and held it like the enclave would.

Atlas put his bloodied hand out in front of him in a "stop" gesture.

"Don't use it on me. Especially not the Stimpacks. Those are for far more serious injuries. Please don't waste such supplies. If it really means that much then you'll hand it to me and let me divide it." He said generously.

" _Divide it? What do you mean?"_ She tilted her head to the left slightly.

"There is a fluid in there that has the healing properties. Instead of using it all on me I'm dividing it between us. That was a big explosion and you're a pretty big target. I know something hit you." He said in a far more serious tone.

Atlas stood up and walked towards her. He held out his hand. "Give it." He said bluntly.

She couldn't lie. A rock size debris hit her twice. One in the center back and the other on the top right near her shoulder.

Ruby gave in and handed him the Stim. He went behind her and saw the parts where her skin busted open from the rocks hitting her. They weren't bleeding much but she was so determined to heal him so he decided to make it fair grounds. He injected it near the wound for an easier insert as her skin was pretty tough. He squeezed in the fluids halfway and stopped. He pulled the stim out and backed up.

"Those should be fine in a while. I'm going to take this time to get some rest. You should do the same." With that he went to the other side of the campfire, placed his belongings laying in the dirt back into his bag and laid down looking at the sky.

Ruby didn't argue and decided to do just that. She laid on her belly and crossed her arms and laid her head on her arms.

Soon enough both found themselves in a trance of peaceful slumber. The night will soon be upon them.

 **BREAK**

Atlas tossed and turned in his sleep. No doubt that memory must be playing in his head over and over like a broken record. He eventually had enough of that memory and woke up from his sleep with a start. He looked at his pip boy and checked the time.

"10:16 pm? We slept for 5 hours? My schedule is going to be ruined. Damn."

The fire was still well lit. He had plenty of wood so it's no wonder why it's still going. He got up and sat on the little ledge peering out towards Lexington. He paid no mind to the dreadful city and looked up at the stars and moon.

He doesn't know why but he always enjoyed looking at the moon and stars. Seeing the formations in stars and just watched them shimmer. Every now and then he'd catch a star shimmer in the color of red almost close to a pink but mostly red.

He knew instantly what he thought of. The Ruby color of the star matches the eyes of Ruby herself. It could be coincidence but he likes to think of it as a connection.

"No matter where you go, it seems you will still watch over me. You are the stars that form the sky and you will always watch over me. Crack the ceiling because there is a sky to see." He said in an almost poetic way. Key word almost.

He then thought back to a poem he actually read about the stars.

I might forget you for a little while

But when the last desert hues of sunset roses

Wrap the bareness of these arms

Out of nowhere and without reason I think of you

Darkness falls and so my tears

But then the wind wafts its zephyr breeze

And exhales away my fears

My fears, the deepest of fears I ever fear

A pearlescent moon rises above an unshaped horizon

Casting its opalescent glow upon my face

Making me feel your warm embrace

Silver dust descends so softly

Like your lips over my skin

It confirms you've returned back

From wherever you have been

Your return brings back the melody

As you love me unexpectedly

Oh my love come close, Come lean on me

How you make the stars hush breathlessly

Once again you play your music

On the muffled strings of my heart

Once again the fluting sound of distant birds

Fulfill two souls that can never truly part

Oh my love come close, Come lean on me

How you make the stars hush breathlessly

Still, so still they keep our secrets

And would not reveal life's destiny

"Damn. That shit hit like a truck when I first read it. It's hard to believe someone like me made it this far. Plus I befriended a Deathclaw. I should be fucking awarded for that." He spoke to himself still stargazing.

"I just wish we could have peace in the world and rebuild what with what we have so that this will never happen again. Heh, were it so easy." He stated sharply

Atlas was startled when a voice suddenly broke his concentration.

" _So, you like to stargaze?"_ Ruby asked attentively

Atlas gazed into her ruby shimmering eyes still in her sleeping position.

"Damn you scared me. Yeah I stare up at the stars and start thinking. It's a habit of mine since I was a lad. Not really I can't remember shit you know that but I had nothing to do but read and stargaze so it eventually became something I rather enjoyed." He said with a hint of humor.

Ruby giggled. _"You said lad. That's pretty funny and rare. Though not as rare as you mo chara."_ She stated kindly.

"Well cheers to that I suppose." He looked back up at the stars.

Ruby shuffled around a little bit but eventually decided to get up and stretch. She completed her little routine by scraping her claws against the ground. She doesn't know why but she does this often.

"I'm not sure if I want to go back there. We can always go back eventually. I guess I will just let you decide. Your level headed and pretty damn smart you'll figure something out." Atlas exclaimed.

" _Hm. I appreciate the assignment. I think we should head over to the Diamond City area. I heard lots about that place from the enclave. They said it was like Rivet city just not on a boat. We should head there because I want to clear out anything that threatens the city there. Super mutants, ghouls, raiders, anything. They might have a security force but we could seek out the threat and destroy it at its heart."_ Ruby responded.

Atlas pondered for a bit.

"Maybe I could get info inside Diamond." He whispered to himself.

"Alright it's a deal." He pulled up his pip boy. "We are going to have to pass Lexington and Corvega assembly plants. We follow the road south and pass by Cambridge. Eventually we will cross a bridge and make it to diamond city and its suburban area surrounding it. There is only one problem…"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"I can't let you anywhere near diamond. I highly doubt they will be as nice as I am. We will roam on the outskirts and clear any hostiles we come into contact with. However we will also have to find some sort of special mark or safe haven for us to meet back up if I need to get into diamond. You know damn well they aren't going to let you stroll in there. Hell I might make it so you can only go around the outskirts. I don't want you near the city. Trust me. They won't think twice." He spouted.

" _Now wait a minute. I don't recall ever saying you could be the boss of me human, and second I can take care of myself. I won't use violence. They will understand one way or another."_ She refuted.

"I guess we can't go then. It's too much of a risk. High risk, medium reward. I guess I could always go to that old fort that got destroyed. Maybe the minutemen are holed up there." Atlas started rambling.

Before he even finished pondering Ruby walked over and flicked him in the back of the head. Atlas keeled over in pain.

"OW! WHAT WOMAN!?"

She bent down slightly and stared into him.

" _We are going Atlas. There could be innocent people there that need our help."_ She stated menacingly.

Atlas scoffed. "Yeah they want help from a Deathclaw and a heartless bastard. Makes a lot of sense Ruby."

Ruby was taken back by this comment. _"What are you saying Atlas?"_

"Do I need to fucking spell it out for you? We help them and in return we get nothing. They call you a fucking freak and shoot at you and I get called an apathetic bastard who has gone insane and likes to hang around Deathclaws! There is no good outcome to this! NONE! You act as if everyone is like me and will tolerate a walking overgrown lizard." Atlas shouted with no remorse.

Ruby backed up a bit in bewilderment from the sudden outburst. She didn't know he would do such a thing. It should have been expected from one of his caliber.

"Besides. They probably have their own security force there. Why waste my precious time helping people who could do help themselves just fine." He remarked

" _You have got to be kidding me Atlas! This is the one thing I wanted to do with my life and you said you would follow me in this endeavor. What happened to you? Has the bombs really turned you into a somber and downcast man? Pitiful."_ She scoffed.

Atlas got up and faced Ruby.

"You are one to talk you fucking test subject. You want to help a race that would rather skin you and take for fucking hands as a pair of gauntlets than allow you to run around as if you are normal." He refuted with venom.

Ruby felt a primal instinct kick in. This wasn't something she should have done, especially not towards someone who showed great care towards her. She hit Atlas towards the ground with a back swing, pounced near him and getting in his face making sure he won't get up and did something regrettable. She roared right in his face.

It was loud. Thunderous. Booming. Frightening. It spoke volume. Said so many words that would span out for days, and she said it in one roar. One roar spoke thousands.

Atlas got up. He simply turned and peered into her. It's as if he could see her soul.

"Fuck. You." With that he turned his back to her. He bent down to grab all of his stuff and then started making his way to Lexington. He wanted to kill something. He knew there was probably something there he could obliterate.

He drew out his 10mil and made sure a round was chambered. He kept the pistol to his side but did not turn around. He was going to make sure Lexington was clear by himself. A quite huge change from his attitude earlier. It's like he forgot about the mini nukes that were launched at him.

Ruby straightened herself up and her eyes opened up. She just realized what she had done. Her instincts let her have control again.

" _Oh no… What have I done? I… I am no better than he is. My instincts take over much like his. I can't believe it. The one person who gave a damn about a Deathclaw, and I drew him away."_ She was conflicted as to whether she should follow him, let him go, or just give him some time. She had to think fast about this as his figure was slowly getting farther and farther out. She finally settled on just letting him have some time alone but she got up and slowly started following Atlas. He was much farther ahead but she didn't want to catch up. She just needed to make sure he was in sight.

"What in god's name had gotten into her? Are you fucking kidding me? Why would she rush to help people who see her as a monster and threat to humanity? Not everyone is as insane as I am. I can't think about that now. She wants to die, I try to stop her, and I get roared at in return. Bitchin isn't it?" he stated in anger. Atlas did not understand her reasoning but he knew she was content on what she wanted to do. She was stubborn much like a real human.

The stars were shimmering and shining, almost as if they were calling out to Atlas. He didn't stop but he did look up and sigh.

"She isn't going to forgive me…"

Ruby looked up at the shimmering stars. She exhaled heavily out her nose and commented the same thing Atlas had stated.

"He isn't going to forgive me…"

It was more than a mere coincidence. You could tell they were both thinking the same thing.

 **BREAK**

Here he was again. Lexington. Atlas walked in the ash filled streets that still had a gloomy forecast. He could see the remains of the ghouls he had killed. Their bodies were really decaying now.

As he kept walking he passed by a familiar building that was left in ruin. It was still aflame in some areas. He veered his sight away from the building and shook out all thoughts on the events from before. Ashes kept kicking up each step he took. He swore he could see an ash figure of a person holding their kid. Their poses were kept throughout the years.

Sadness is what this city is.

He stopped and looked up at the familiar bridge and saw a light shining up into the roof of the bridge. This must have been the power armored raider that he shot. That's good. He is still there.

In the distance he could hear some shuffling. It seemed to come from his 6 o'clock. He raised his pistol and quickly turned around aiming down his sights looking for whatever was making the noises. He checked around the general area and couldn't see anything.

He saw something shimmer. It has a reddish pink glow to it. It was almost like…

"Ruby." He stated. He holstered his pistol.

"Why is she here? Why is she following me? What's her plan? Am I dead? W-"

" _I know you can see me. And I know you have many questions."_ She interrupted his quiet talk to himself.

She drew herself closer. He could see her eyes glowing like the stars themselves. Eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, or so we're often told.

It may be dark but he could see her. She was now in view. She stopped once she got pretty close and was towering over him.

"Wh-" he was cut off by her outing her large claw against his lips in a silence gesture.

" _I just want to say I'm sorry. You have no idea how much it pains me to know that I did such a thing to you. All you have shown me is care and I did something like an animal would. A monster. I know you are trying to look out for me. I sincerely apologize. I hope we can become friends again. I did not wish for any of this to happen mo chara."_ She informed. She lowered her hand.

"Well if you knew then why did you still refuse me? Why did you scream in my face like that if you knew I was only looking out for you?" he questioned.

" _Because I'm like you Atlas. My instincts took over and before I knew it I… I hit you and roared at you as if you were a mere spec of a being. You are the same way in some sense. You have sudden changes in mood quite rapidly and I don't know why."_ She remarked.

"The mood changes are because I think too much. I think about everything and anything and it really causes me to change in sudden successions. But I guess that's why you and I are such good companions for one another. In a sense we are the same being, just different gender, different species, and I think different age. I will put what has happened behind us. Just try not to worry me. You matter so much to me." He said whole-heartedly.

He embraced her in a warm hug. It was much appreciated and he could tell she was happy.

He pulled out of the hug and gestured her to come on.

"Let's go. I still need to clear out that building and take whatever goods we can find."

She nodded. "I'm right behind you Atlas."

 **BREAK**

Atlas had to make her wait outside and guard the streets and entrance ways into the buildings as she couldn't really fit into this building. She didn't mind though. She knew he would be alright.

Atlas made his way up the long series of stairs that never seemed to end. He wanted to get to the floor that actually mattered, the one that had the connecting bridge.

He finally stopped at the 7th floor and opened the door. The door seemed fine and opened up well so it must have been used a lot recently. He readied his sidearm and entered the room. He heard a lot of machinery running and heard a familiar honk or beep.

He knew exactly what it was and dove for cover around a corner. He could hear shots popping off in a pattern. It was an automated turret.

He waited for the things pattern to finally stop because he knew that if it was to continue firing, its barrel will overheat and cause the mechanism to have problems. He heard the sound again and jumped out from around the corner and popped of 4 rounds into the metal.

 **POW  
KING  
POW  
KING  
POW  
KING  
PANG  
KANG**

He hit it four times in the hull and the last two bullets went through the hull and cut up its wiring. The turret powered down.

He took the remaining bullets that were left in the mechanism box and continued around the large room. He started taking whatever caught his eye; food, caps, ammo, some junk, and something that made him ecstatic. He found a suppressor modification for what looked like a hunting rifle! He took the suppressor and slung his rifle off his shoulder. He looked at the end of his rifle and noticed he already had a muzzle attached that would allow him to screw it on.

He screwed the suppressor on and made sure it was on their tightly. He smiled knowing he could now fire his sniper rifle without destroying his ear drums. He slung the rifle back over his shoulder and walked over towards a large hole in the wall. He saw a large metal figure laid out on the platform with its light staring into the ceiling. A little ways away was a body with its head missing. He knew where this was at.

"The bridge. I hope nothing else really remains other than ghouls. I'm sniper bait myself once I walk out there." He commented.

He collected his thoughts and went out on the bridge. He knelt down near the large scrap power armor and used all his might to turn it over. He got the body to turn on its side.

"Good enough" he huffed.

He turned a little wheel on the back of the suit and pulled out this battery thing Ruby said was called a power core. He felt like an idiot for not knowing these suits needed a power source. Classic Atlas.

The large suit opened up like an exoskeleton and inside revealed a man with a gaping hole in the back of his head.

Atlas got up and gagged a bit from the scene. His sniper sure as hell did some work.

"Oh god. Oh shit. That's nasty. Woo I did not expect that. Alright I'm leaving this place."

Leave he did. He put the core in his bag and retraced his steps till he eventually walked out the entranceway into the building.

"Ruby?" he whispered.

"Ruby where are you?"

He walked out a few yards before seeing something shimmer to his right.

" _I'm right here Atlas. Just patrolling the perimeter. Didn't know what else to do. How did it go? Did you get anything of value?"_ she asked

"I found some caps, got a few food stuffs, ammunition, and a suppressor for my sniper. It will be a lot quieter than before. One bad thing though."

" _What is it?"_ she asked curiously.

"No water. No soda. Just a bunch of beers and other alcohols. I don't need alcohol I need water. Without water we will surely perish." He said upset with his outcome.

" _Do not worry Atlas. We shall find some sooner or later. I can last a lot longer than you can anyway"_ she remarked

Atlas started walking to walk out of Lexington. He could see Corvega Assembly.

"We just need to pass Corvega and Cambridge then look for a body of water. There should be a bridge that will lead us straight to diamond. Or… you anyway." He lowered his head slightly.

" _What do you mean?"_ she questioned him.

"I can't go with you. I'm not cowering from my death. I'm cowering from yours. I don't want to watch you be killed right in front of my eyes. Not like that nightmare. I don't think I would be able to handle it. I am just going to have to live on thinking about how we separated and just hoping you are alright." He replied in a somber tone.

" _No. We will not separate. I will stay by your side. If we truly wish for peace though Atlas, it has to start at Diamond. Please. I know you can convince them."_ She stated with some hope.

He really pondered on her statement. Could he actually convince them that she was okay and that she wouldn't harm them? That she only wants to help make the world a safer place. She could talk to them herself but they would be confused and panicking.

"I see why you want me to do the talking then. Okay. Let's do this then. I have your back."

He gestures to follow.

" _And I have yours Atlas_." She replied.

They looked at each other and said at the same time, "Always."

They walked their way past Corvega Assembly and soon they would be reaching the Cambridge area. How will they fair at Diamond? Will there be conflict? We will find out.

 **BREAK**

 **With that I end chapter five. Review? Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read it as we progress. I would like someone to read my story before i publish to make sure everything is okay because I'm not very good at doing that myself.**

 **PEACE**


	6. Chapter 6: Diamond

Chapter 6: Good Old Diamond

Is it true? Was he really about to go to Diamond City? Is he actually serious about trying to convince the people of the Good old Diamond that he isn't insane and that he befriended a Deathclaw?

Atlas sighed. "I really hope it really is 'The Great Green Jewel' of the commonwealth. The place might be nice but that doesn't mean the people will be the same." he groaned.

Atlas and Ruby were passing by the Corvega Assembly plant. The place looked abandoned like almighty hell but he wasn't exactly going to check it out. Not yet.

" _Atlas, I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't nervous. I really fear for what could happen to me… and to you. Will they accept our help?"_ she tilted her head slightly.

"I won't lie either, I don't think they will. Even if we can't help from inside the walls we could always help from the outside. Just clear out the scum that are around the area, that kind of thing." He commented. He mumbled something afterwards.

"…Kill them if they dared..." Is all that she could make out of the sentence. Atlas walked just a bit faster than usual after this statement. Ruby doesn't think Atlas noticed her but she knew he might have known that she heard him. This could be the reason for the pace change.

His pace wasn't a challenge to catch up to considering how big she is. She normally had to take slow and small steps to keep in pace with him. She widened her steps a bit and she was right next to him in no time.

She could have sworn sometimes when she stepped it would break some asphalt.

" _Atlas. I know you are worried the most but you know what really worries me?"_ she questioned him.

 _I really hope he doesn't get enraged by this._ She thought to herself.

"What worries you?" He turned his head bit to the left and let his peered into her eyes.

She inhaled a bit being worried. _"If you were right about them, and they were to attack me… I fear for w-what you might do… If you would harm them because of me. Would you?"_ She looked away from his emerald eyes and looked at the broken roads that were once highways.

Atlas looked forward and said nothing. Grinding of his teeth could be heard. Ruby heard this noise and moved up a little more till she was beside him and saw his face. The face of a man ready to decimate a town.

"You know the answer to that. I would take whoever ordered it and make them suffer. Shoving their head in a bucket filled with barbed wire and salt. Take out his eyes with a rusty spoon and then dump him in a barrel of acids. After his screams fill the air I'll emasculate and eviscerate him and shove his head on the end of a Halberd. Don't test me Ruby! You know I wouldn't allow some asshole like that to walk the earth!" he shouted.

" _I know that Atlas but I mean others. People who weren't a part of it. Bystanders. Would you go off on them as well?"_ she asked a bit frightened.

Atlas hesitated a bit. "I uh… no promises…"

"I wouldn't be thinking straight. You should know me by now." He remarked.

Casual Atlas I suppose. I would hope that the situation doesn't come to that. It wouldn't be good for anybody especially those of the opposite end of my rage.

"You know, we literally became friends at first sight. Maybe not immediately but you know that's pretty crazy right? Others would see that as ridiculous. Normally we would have to know each other a lot more before becoming close friends of the sort. But even then you would still have to be human by most sane people. It's just so hard to believe how civilized you are." Atlas ranted desperately trying to change the subject. _Maybe I'll tell her the true, childish reason as to why I wanted to be her friend later. But honestly if I tell her now I think I might look foolish. GRR THIS IS HARD! Think of something to throw her off..._

"I guess that could be a reason we became so close so quick. Because of how nice and well-mannered you are. I just feel like me and you were destined to be with each other. Think about it. All humans you have come across were mostly bad and terrible people with a low chance of neutral people. The exact same goes to me. I have very frequent encounters with raiders and even some people called gunners. I rarely come across friendly faces. I have only crossed one nice and gentle hearted person and I don't know where she is now. She was news writer here in the commonwealth and her name was Ashley. Pretty common name but a beautiful name none-the-less. I wish I… I just..." Gloom started to overcome Atlas.

Ashley was the first friend he made in this hellish world but he tried to forget her after everything that's happened. Labeling Ruby as his first friend worked only for a short time and now thoughts were flowing again.

"Isn't that Ironic Ashley? One of the very things you were terrified of is much more civilized than you… she is much kinder and sweeter than you and she is a Deathclaw." He tried to argue with himself. It was an internal conflict.

 _He is trying so desperately to change the subject. Who is this woman he is mentioning now? Whatever it is it's really bothering him_. Ruby thought to herself.

After a few more minutes of pacing the pair finally made it past the Corvega Assembly and was coming up towards the College Square Metro. This was their turnoff point. They will travel on a road to the left of the metro and follow the road down Cambridge till eventually they reach a bridge taking them straight to Diamond.

They made their way down the road, passing by the metro as they continue their converse.

" _Atlas? Who is this Ashley you seem to be so intrigued yet conflicted about? Was she a close one?"_ She questioned him with real intent. It really piqued her interest.

 _Fuck. No way around it I suppose._ "Ashley… s-she was a girl I met back in Concord over inside the Museum of Freedom. She was there probably to catch up on some history or was recording something to put in her newspaper. She didn't trust me at first but she eventually warmed up to me after noticing the fact that I had a pip-boy so she must have known about the vaults. Anything the survival guides or books didn't tell me I asked and she had them answered. She was my first real friend in the commonwealth but in the end she didn't really like the way I acted. I caught feelings for her believe it or not and I guess she had some for me. She tried to get me to converse with settlements at the Starlight drive-in and Abernathy Farms but I acted as I normally do. She scolded me often and tried desperately to change me until she eventually gave up on me and I caught her… having an a-affair." He choked on his words a little glancing back on the horrible image that forever stains his mind.

The scene of Ashley, in the bed with her breasts being partially seen. A man on top with messy bed hair. He was kissing her aggressively and slowly thrusting down on her every second or so with loud moaning to follow.

The scene faded as he stared into the ground still walking with a moment of silence. Ruby broke it with an unexpected question.

" _What is an affair?"_ She was puzzled indeed staring intently at the sauntering yet depressed man.

Atlas was kind of happy she asked such a question. He didn't answer with content but knew exactly what to say.

"We were in a relationship. Boyfriend and girlfriend, mates, bond-ships, whatever you want to call it. We loved each other in that mannerism and broke it. She went to another man without ending it. She had sex, mated, or courted another man and left me high and dry. She is another reason why I am the way I am."

She understood every part. Each word like venom as its potency took effect. To know that he went through such a thing is truly disheartening. If she could she would hug him right now. It is really no wonder that he is distasteful towards others. Maybe that is another reason why he trusts her so much. She is much more intelligent and isn't human as humans have different thought processes and codes of honor. It makes some sense.

"To be honest with you, I am glad I didn't have sex with her anyway. I am perfectly okay with being a virgin. That bitch will get what she deserves. Speaking of which you have any Deathclaw buddies that you remember? Any at all?"

" _No not really. I conversed with plenty but never made acquaintances with any of them. There was this one Deathclaw that was terrifying to look at that tried to forcefully mate me but I tore out his throat and shoved his own claw in his eye sockets. I heard one person call him a mythic Deathclaw but I have no idea what that even means Atlas. So to summarize no. No friends."_ She stated this with some sorrow but was still very straightforward.

"Huh. Well sounds like you and me are one in the same. Both pure and had very bad yet similar experiences with someone when it comes to the mating department. Wow. It's sad how I can relate better to a Deathclaw than of my own kind." He caught on quick to what he had said.

"NO! Wait! I didn't mean it in a rude or bad way it is just the reality of the situation." He rushed his words out fast.

She let out a chuckle. _"Relax I understood what you meant."_ She flicked him in the back of the head. "OW HEY! THAT HURT" _"Don't be so psyched all the time you are going to have gray hairs in no time flat if you keep it up."_ Atlas was a little confused at first as to how she knew human hairs turn gray as they age as well as when they are in situations of much stress. "Well, she was raised by humans and is very intellect unlike my dumbass…"

They had passed the Cambridge Police station being lost in the converse. Skeletons littered the streets along with some dead ghouls. Ashes of victims were spread out like dust. If only humanity could have solved its disputes without the need for war. Were it so easy…

He rubbed the back of his head. "It's just the way I am. Sorry. Just kind of get carried away with my words sometimes. Well… all the time really. I can't lie to you but I feel like it's better to have a huge creature like yourself rather than a human being. The only reason I think in such a manner is because in our current world right now, if I had to choose a companion to follow me around I'd want one that can stand the wastes and is really good at killing. Most humans that are like that mostly betray each other or end up in power struggles. So why not animals? They have better honor codes than us. Just look at dogs. Man's best friend. It is just much easier with you around Ruby."

She snickered a bit. _"Okay really though Atlas why did you actually decide to converse with a Deathclaw? I KNOW that I can talk back but seriously. Why did you try to get close to a wasteland monster as if it was a mere domesticated pet?"_

Cambridge Polymer labs was in the distance. They had made quite a lot of progress without any real conflict.

 _Well, I guess it's time to spill the beans now. Shit._ "Well, to be honest, I was reading some books and comics that I found. Before bed I would always go out and stare at the stars or read and some of these comics were in some crazy worlds. In one, this guy named Reiko, the father of dragons, was the main protagonist. He was a bad ass and he even had dragons on his side. This mere man had dragons by his side to vanquish all evil. I just felt something in me that made me feel like a kid again. So, I guess when I saw the fact that you could talk and were dignified, I gave it a try. It worked… didn't it?"

 _I am so fucking immature…_

She looked over at him confused but before she could even respond something was heard. Bouncing around the streets.

Gunshots were being fired into the distance. Sounded like .38's and some 10mm.

Too soon.

Ruby and Atlas tensed up hearing the shots. They started rushing over to the right side of the street to get cover all the while keeping their heads up looking for what made the gunshots. "Oh for fucks sake I really did speak too soon. Ruby get ready. Whatever the hell is up ahead could be a lot worse than what we are normally used to facing!" He readied his .50 cal rifle, attached his new found suppressor to the end, and looked behind him waiting for her signal.

" _Aww. You underestimate me Atlas. You know I have faced way more than you have. Believe me little one this will not be a pyrrhic victory. With me around this will be quite simplistic all the while being sumptuous."_

She dragged her claw on the ground and started a full sprint in the direction. She was very surreptitious in her steps however, almost like she was stalking on prey but all the while sprinting at max speeds! Truly amazing. It really left Atlas awestruck as to how that overgrown gecko could run so fast yet be so quiet.

 _She would kill me if she heard that._ "Well I will pretend like I knew what those words meant and just roll with it. Let's go baby." He ran as fast as he possibly could behind her and saw up ahead the oncoming battle of raiders shooting super mutants. The raiders were taking cover utilizing the mines they had placed to take out the mutant hounds and any super coming in with a nail board in hand. They may be shifty bastards but they still are pretty smart.

" _Oh-ho this will be fun."_ She gets close enough to rip out pieces of concrete and started hurling them downrange. A few good throws ended up hitting some super mutants. With successful hits she roared out into the sky and started going on that tactical rampage that you'd expect from a Deathclaw. Of course, being as intelligent as she is she adds her own twists like grabbing the street sign and clubbing a hound with it… which she just did… great.

Atlas slid behind a concrete blockade and steadied his breath, peering into the scope. He lined up on a raider hiding behind cover. _Thank god I got that suppressor._

 ***PANG!***

The raiders head is no longer in a single piece as red mist spurts from the neck. He chambered another round and scoped in on a mutant with a hunting rifle. He drew his breath and steadied on his head.

 ***PANG!***

"HAHA! There goes his ugly mug. Catch you in hell mutie. They keep staying in place for me and things will keep getting easier." Chambering another round he zoomed in on Ruby causing absolute havoc among the ranks of their enemies. The .38 and 10mm bullets were seeming to bounce off her "scale mail" like nothing as she shredded her foes with those massive talons.

The kid is Atlas seemed to come out again. Well, even though he can't remember shit of his past. "COOOOOOOOL! She is such a badass…" his eyes seemed to twinkle like one looking at their child hood hero.

He zoned back in when he saw a mutant with a big super sledge charge at Ruby from behind.

"Fuck!" he honed in his shot a little bit in front of the target and drew his breath yet again. Slowly grasping the trigger the rifle went off sending the .50 cal hurling forward.

Things seemed to slow in his eyes as he saw the bullet flying ahead. The mutant was slowly moving towards where the bullet would meet. "Please…" he begged.

After dispatching another raider and mutant Ruby turning around to see a big super mutant fall to the ground with a nasty choking sound as blood gushed from his throat. There was nothing but a big vast hole where his throat should be, with a big hole in the wall behind him as well. She glanced up and saw the glimmer of his scope and just knew she had owed him one now. _"Well then. Let's finish this I suppose._ "

Atlas sighed heavily upon seeing the bullet made his mark. "Thank the lords… I need to move up."

He hopped over the blockade and ran towards where the action was taking place and saw Ruby disappear behind a corner. Taking a left on that main street he saw Ruby dart around he stopped with his boots making a scratchy sound and aimed down range only to be met with Ruby pulling her claw out the chest of a raider.

Lowering his weapon he walked over as she growled at all of her victims. After a few scrapes of her claws on the ground the blood has vanished and as she was about to tend to some blood spatters on her chest and arm areas when she was stopped by an unsuspecting hand on her hip.

"Sit. Now…" Atlas had demanded.

She gasped a bit as she was a little startled at his frontward approach. _"Why? What's wrong Atlas?"_

He slung the rifle behind his back and sighed, making sure not to make eye contact with her. "Just do it. Please…"

Ruby couldn't really think of a reason to retort so she willingly sat down and watched for his next move. She was still worried and distraught over her companion not knowing what was bothering him.

He untightened the straps to his pack and emptied out some rags and alcohol. He then, using the alcohol and rags as disinfectant, started cleaning the blood and wounds that were on her body. A few shots had managed to break scales on her arm as that was a blocking mechanism for her when she didn't have anything else. He could hear her hissing but he had to clean them.

After the arm he moved on to her chest and stomach area where a few cuts had managed to break through.

" _Atlas please… these are nothing compared to what I have been through previously. You need to worry more for yourself. I can endure a lot more than you and you can't contest it._

… _Come on now please Atlas just stop-"_

"NO!" he looked into her ruby eyes. His emerald eyes were the cynosure of the hour matching up with hers and you could tell that his next words were being poured from the soul.

"Don't… just… don't. I need to keep you safe as we travel the commonwealth. I will be a pest until the day my last breath draws. Don't expect me to ever leave your side in the right state of mind. If I need to use a little of my supplies to keep you in good shape then I will. I can always find or buy more. You are all I have got."

He continued with her wounds as she sat bewildered. _Why is he so selfless? He is apathetic one minute towards others but to me he is completely opposite. He really wants to be my shield into battle. Or at least a support. You are a lot kinder and genuine than you make yourself out to be mo stor._

He sighed after disposing of the bloodied rags and putting the alcohol back. Closing it and strapping it tight onto his back, his pack was secure and so was his rifle and pistol. So he stood up and took a few steps away from her and peered out onto the bridge ahead with a destroyed boat in the water.

She felt bad, almost guilty for getting herself injured, even if it was only minor. She got up herself and stood beside her partner looking out and seeing what he was. _"The crash of the USS Riptide. That means that diamond city is straight ahead."_

"Astounding…" he turned around and started checking bodies for look. He received a few caps, 10 mil, 308 and .38 rounds, some stimpaks and about 7 bottles of water. "Thank fuck…" he opened up his pack being desultory about it seeing as he just put it back on. He kept 3 bottle of water out.

"Ruby" he had called out whilst walking over to her. She had zoned out just from looking around at the city ruins laying ahead. "Here, I found water. These three won't be enough for you as big as you are but it should do something."

" _The gesture is appreciated but have you drank any yourself?"_

He opened up all three of them and handed her them to drink. She will down them within seconds anyway so three at the same time isn't that bad of an idea.

"Yeah I had some already go ahead and drink up. I will give you some more later. You may be able to last longer than me but that means you need more in general." He had to lie to not worry her again. He will feel the repercussions of this choice later on but at least she is alright.

She nodded and gulped down all three bottles and handed the bottles back to him, in turn he fit the cap back on them, put them in the pack, and closed it up.

"Well then. All ready to go Ruby? It shouldn't be far from here now."

" _Yes Atlas let us depart. The smell of blood is starting to stain my sense of smell."_

" _Tch. I know that's a lie. You could smell a blood hound from California to the UK if you wanted to."_

 ***THWAP!***

"OW! Hey what was that for?" he rubbed the back of his head.

" _You keep messing with me little one and I will hurl you out into the glowing sea without your precious little Ruby to protect you."_ She amused herself quite a bit when messing with the smaller human. Even though he is big for his own species.

"You don't have to flick me in the back of the head all the time though you experimental chameleon! I swear my head is going to pop off you keep it up."

 ***THWAP!***

"OWW DAMNIT ALL I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK IT OFF I SWEAR ON MY LIFE!" _"Oh hush now Atlas dearest look. Your head just so happens to still be attached to your neck and shoulders so all is well."_

He could hear her snicker with a touch of evil. _I will get her I swear on it. Just you wait._

As they walked across the bridge she thought to herself.

 _Well Atlas, looks like I owe you twice now… my little Atlas. What am I going to do without you?_

Next time we see our two protagonists they will have scrapped a few raiders, mutants, and ghouls and will be towards the front gate of Diamond City. That lucky ol' diamond.

Will the guards let them through or will they be fired at?

 **Welp that's chapter 6 hope you enjoyed! Sorry I have been gone for so long I have been busy with life in general. I'M BACK BABY! But yeah if you don't know the** CAPS UNDERLINED LIKE THIS **means he is yelling but it isn't focused on. It's in the background pretty much. Chapter 7 is coming out very soon I promise i am very sorry for not writing in such a long time. Have a good one and PEACE!**


	7. Chapter 7: Spark for the Lantern

Chapter 7: Spark for the lantern

 _I can't say I am surprised but I also can't say that I wasn't at the same time. I tried my best to stop to both myself and her… we shouldn't have set out for this venture. We should have stopped at Lexington. Hell maybe even the Cambridge area would have been fine. But I should have fucking stopped us before we came to this dreaded fucking city. Diamond of the fucking apocalypse or whatever their motto is… I should have destroyed this place when I had the chance. The silent assassin… fuck this city. Fuck the commonwealth._

… _You know what? Fuck this world._

* * *

A voice speaks in the pitch blackness, a void if you will.

"Stay behind me. Really… I have a bad fucking feeling about this Ruby. I don't trust these scumbags no matter what they say. Can't we just find some other places to investigate or something?"

" _No. We must go here if we must start the quest of bringing the commonwealth to justice. If we can persuade them to side with the minuteman when the time comes than we are all set to go for the Underground Railroad. Brotherhood on the other hand won't be easy until we actually have numbers on our side. Come on Atlas please…"_

Ruby, our giant Deathclaw protagonist, and Atlas, our mysterious oddball protagonist, come into view. Atlas has his rifle drawn and his pistol is just itching to be used. Behind him is Ruby, slumped down a little stealthier than her usual walking stance.

He began to move forward without giving her an answer. She did as instructed however and kept behind him at a close distance. She was still very visible but with him in front things should be more… distracting.

" _Here it is… the front gate to the lucky diamond mo stor. Une vue magnifique!"_ she chipped from behind him.

"And here are the guards to boot. Well… here we go Ruby." He approached the gate. Ruby hung back and three guards in baseball armor with some modifications done has aimed there rifles at him. Turrets were revving up and buzzed at him but did not shoot. Not yet…

"Ah-ah-ah! Stay right fucking there. If I were you I'd keep that rifle down before me and these others guys lay waste into you… with the help of a little turrets mind you." The main guy spoke out and seemed bigger than his two comrades but he didn't sport a helmet. _How cliché_

"Settle down there. I have no intentions of being hostile. My weapon is drawn because I had killed some mutants, raiders, hell even ghouls before I reached your front gate. I can guarantee you that I won't be of any harm I just intend to barter…"

The three all seemed to relax a bit at his statement. The big guy spoke up. _Too bad he isn't as tall as me… prick_

"Oh… well I'll be damned we owe ya then! Clearing out those pests will really help some of our scout patrols. Thanks man. If you plan to barter as well hell I see no problem with letting you in."

Atlas looked down a bit. It was time to get serious…

"Well here is the problem… you guys know what the most dangerous creature in this wasteland is? Something that will kill you faster than the radiation would?"

They all looked among themselves a bit confused by his confronting question. "Well I would have to guess on them big lizard things with the horns straight from the devil itself. Claws bigger than a goddamn railway spike the hell was it called Yuri?" he looked over at the guard now labeled Yuri waiting for an answer.

"A Deathclaw Jon" He answered.

"Deathclaw! That's the one. Big bastards… why you ask?"

He turned around as they saw a big figure approach. Her steps weren't rumbling the ground as she was graceful with her walk as to not frighten them. The readied their weapons and signs of panic and terror began to show as he faced back to them. On his shoulder a big Deathclaw face peaked out from the darkness and rested on that very shoulder.

"Meet Ruby, my Deathclaw companion. She is tame and will not attack unless you attack me." He rubbed the side of her face with his right hand but kept the rifle in his left just in case. This caused a sort of purr to come from the Deathclaw. "If I were to go in she comes with me. She is very docile and very elegant in her stature. And the best part…"

" _Greetings to you three. I am Ruby. I promise I won't inflict any harm."_

"She talks. She is an intelligent Deathclaw raised in New Cali and traveled here to find me and now we are companions."

They aimed their rifles at the two and Jon, the leader spoke.

"Fuck that… no fucking WAY that thing just t-talked. It's made by the Institute I swear it! It will kill us all!" Fear was in the tone but it seemed to be a fearing aggression like that of a cornered animal.

He got his rifle ready and stepped forward.

"I wouldn't even think about it. She is definitely a real creature just like you and me and she has stated herself she will not harm anyone. Its best you don't try anything you got me? Jon?"

He chambered a round and aimed for his head. "Please man don't make me hurt you because of some ugly ass lizard freak that can magically talk. If you let me kill it I will let you have the remains so that you can sell-GUAGHH!"

Time seemed to slow… the scene shows Atlas with a fist straight to the man's stomach causing lots of spit and breathe to come out his mouth. He had gotten hit hard and before he realized what hit him Atlas grabbed his hunting rifle and tripped the man, hitting him on the head with the butt of the stock once he hit the ground. Dropping Jon's rifle and picking up his own .50 cal he pointed it at Yuri and the other guy.

"I will say this again. Let us through. We will be of no harm. Tell everyone on standby that we are friendly and are just looking around for now. Later we will be talking with people that we find interesting… I suggest you do it now."

Yuri didn't hesitate to hop on his radio and tell exactly what Atlas said to do. They both lowered their weapons and in return Atlas did the same. He slung the rifle on his back and walked through the gate that was now opening for the pair.

" _Oh Atlas! Why did you do that dearest you could have killed him. There was no need for the violence I understand his reaction to me. It's a genuine reaction to a… thing such as me."_ She followed behind him and bent her head down slightly as she was now worried for her partner.

"No need to ask such a question when the answer is fairly obvious. Plus you already know the answer to that. I got us through now let's not stay in the market area. Just pass through. Whatever you are trying to find here is priority. We can talk to the Mayor later. We need to see if he throws us out before we get the chance to speak to him. If we meddle and we are okay then we shall go and talk to him, okay?"

There was no time to argue as he started to walk at a faster pace. She kept behind him just in case and kept her footsteps light and almost graceful. The market area was booming with activity and voices and it never ceased, even when Ruby came into vision. The guards standing on patrol must have sent word to the folk so they weren't so panicked at the start. That still didn't stop Ruby from getting some awkward stares and some nasty remarks from some few individuals.

She paid no mind to the nasty and rude remarks from the bystanders. She knew their reasoning for it even if they were pretty harsh. Atlas gave some of them terrifying looks, one you wouldn't want to test a man for. Catch the light just right and his emerald eyes shine like a wraith or phantom.

As they were walking some kids started getting curious as to what she was. One young boy in particular walked out and stood in front on ruby, stopping her in her tracks to peer down at the little lad.

Ruby was nervous, she didn't want anyone to get angry over this situation. Someone may think she is trying to harm the poor boy.

"Wowwie what are you? You look like this thing is my comic book! You got big claws… and big teeth and horns."

All of the kids seemed to look on as this brave young boy stood in front of the massive creature and talked to it even. Onlookers watched in horror and didn't know how to intervene.

Atlas caught a hint of it and turned around. "Hey uh little boy you shouldn't get too close. You might get us into trouble we aren't exactly on good terms with the folk here just yet."

Before the boy could turn around and state anything to Atlas, she spoke…

" _Hello there little one. My name is Ruby. I am a Deathclaw if you were so curious as to wonder what I am exactly. I'm afraid I'm not from your comics dear. I come from far out beyond the commonwealth."_

And just like that, the little boy's world just lit up with fireworks and angels. You'd have to take a cruise to catch his jaw drop. All of the other kids followed suit and began to crowd in front of her with the boy still closest to her.

"WOOOOOOOOW!" They had all said it in perfect unity, as well as in harmony.

"I didn't know Dead-Caws could talk. That's so cool! How did you learn to speak like us Ruby?"

Ruby had chuckled at bit at the boy's pronunciation and curiousness, almost like she admired his questionable curiosity. _"Well little ones, first off its Death-Claw. Dead-Caw was pretty close though I shall allow you that. I come all the way from New California which is very far away from here you must know. Be careful though children… I am the only Deathclaw that is friendly okay? All other ones are very rude and will attempt to harm you. I shall do no such thing, as I am very sophisticated and was taught English by my human raisers or parents if you will. Me and that man behind you are best friends and are closer than any two beings on this earth. His name is Atlas if you would like to ask him questions as well."_

Atlas walked up and stood behind the children as she continued on.

" _Remember kids I can't stress it enough, I am a special case. Do not try to befriend any of my kind as they will not like you as much as I do. You are an adorable little bunch."_ All of the kids were awed and talking and giggling all at once and Ruby really loved the attention. _I never thought she would be good with kids. That's not too surprising but just… wow._

"Hey Atlas? What made you want to make her a friend? Ruby Ru says not to friend any death… claws. There we go, as they are meanie heads. Why did you?" Said a little girl closer to him.

He laughed a bit at himself but decided to tell her the truth. He kneeled down to her height and whispered. "Well just like that boy there, I saw a man in a comic book who had dragon friends. So when I found out she could talk I just had to try it. But we actually became a bonded pair the two of us. We are like the left and right brain in a way." The girl laughed but whispered back to him "You got lucky though Atlas. She is so cool!"

One little boy overheard the conversation and decided to take this as an opportunity to make things embarrassing. It's just something that kids like to do.

Plus. He was the oldest of the group…

"Gee whiz with all the talk you too make about each other it's like you're boyfriend and girlfriend!"

" _Oh! No-no don't say that little one. We are not on the road of that. We are different species and we simply have no thoughts of that at all."_ You could tell she was embarrassed.

"The lady is right you know. That thought has never crossed our minds. Don't make it like that young man or you and me will go a few rounds. Ruby and I are just one in the same but with a different personality. I think that's all the time we have though kids we have to get moving."

A series of awes and Okays were then followed. At least they were given such an opportunity such as that. It's not every day you get to talk to a Deathclaw that talks back. After a few seconds of good byes and other things alike, they all dispersed.

Atlas stood up and looked at his partner. _She seems a bit sad, but it really cheered her up. Set her spirits right I can tell. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. But I still have that feeling that someone is watching me…_

…

"Come on. Lead on and figure out what you want to do." He motioned to come on and she did gladly. She did indeed lead the way as the two began to look around Diamond with a few exchanged words to people as they passed. No body dared to approach unlike those few brave children.

All of the bystanders got back to business as usual. Something stood out in the crowd but he wasn't spotted by either of them.

As the two walked around and meddled, the mysterious figure has made a move. Up on the west side of the gate was this metal home set high up and separated from the rest of the city. This person entered the building and shut the door.

"He is here. Yes sir I am positive. He has something very interesting with him too. I think if I can get it with us you will be quite pleased sir. Yes sir, understood *Click*. You should have stayed with us man. Just you wait *Inaudible*, you'll see just how bad you fucked up this time…"

Atlas and Ruby had passed by a few houses and even a detective agency. Some people were tending to a garden of sorts and others were even tending to some damages made to the outer wall of the lucky old diamond. Here they were, walking side by side just observing Diamond City.

"I got a bad feeling Ruby. Something just isn't settling right with me. I don't know what it is yet but I think we should go ahead and speak with the Mayor before something happens." Atlas was fiddling with something in his hands as he walked with Ruby. It was a new sidearm. He traded the 10 mil pistol and with some caps bought this pistol that Garret, the arms dealer, dubbed "The Deliverer". It had night sights of sorts, and extended magazine, a longer barrel and even a suppressor equipped as well.

" _Oh come on now what did I say Atlas dear. If you continue to worry so much that nice head of hair that you have will be shining the same light as the moon. Don't be so uptight all the time, we should be relatively safe now. Especially since you had that little episode at the front, and all for me. How endearing."_ She went behind him and poked the back of his metal pauldron.

He shrugged off her poke. "Yeah-yeah I know don't mention it all the time. Anyway let us go see the mayor. I am not waiting any longer. Too impatient now." He really was quite nervous. His tone was honest and sincere but still rather straightforward.

As the two began the trek to the Mayor's office, there he was. Watching… waiting…

* * *

"Man oh man my skin feels like it's on fire right now… Atlas, that's what you are called now? I think I like your old name more. Used to tell me all the time the ties that came to the name. I really am surprised you ended up surviving the fall of the bombs. Absolutely fan-fucking-tastic!"

The man's appearance was real unkempt and rogue like. He had a full garibaldi beard to match with a few gray hairs poking out of the very dark brown hair. He had a scar covering his left eye that made one eye blue while the other left dark brown. This scar did not impair his vision whatsoever. He had on an old type duster with metal combat armor underneath. He did not sport a pip boy but a metal hand instead. Almost like a permanently attached power fist.

"Man oh man I do hope you'll join me Atlas. With that 'Claw of yours we could do some serious work. But if you were to deny, well. Like I said before you'll see just how bad you fucked up."

The man finally decided to move from his spot and stop his self-conversation after he saw them enter the office.

* * *

Atlas walked in and sat down on a couch as the secretary told him and her to wait for him. He Kept a stern appearance as to not show any sign of weakness and to really pose as a threat if need be. Ruby just stayed hunched beside the couch as the room was barely big enough to fit her standing.

"Ahhhh Atlas! The Wanderer of the Commonwealth, the Tamer of Deathclaws how are you? Are you enjoying the Jewel of the Commonwealth? I hope you weren't treated to badly, I have a rule that as long as you follow the rules anyone is allowed in. Even super mutant behemoths if they were ever so inclined to be as peaceful as this little jewel here. Ruby dear I don't think you understand just how rare you are. An intelligent Deathclaw that is civilized and can communicate ever so perfectly? Outstanding!" The man seemed to drone on and on. There is no way he should be able to keep talking like this without passing out.

" _Thank you Mr. Mayor. That compliment means a lot to me truly. The road has been a bumpy one but Atlas here had been a blessing. If he seems rude I apologize he is very protective for me as I am for him. You must understand…"_

"Of course of course no problem dear! My goodness you do have a well atoned voice for a creature your size… magnificent! You two have made quite the pair. Tell me Atlas how are things?"

If Ruby had a human face it would be red as a tomato with all the compliments she is getting.

"Front gate was a little shifty as well as some bystanders but things seem okay here. You are doing a good job Mayor?" he trailed it off as to seem more interested.

"Brooks. Franklin Brooks at your service. I do apologize for the boys at the gate. They have seen quite a bit of things and to have been approached by a Deathclaw that could talk and didn't want to tear them to shreds was quite petrifying and still astonishing." He always spoke in such a joyous and uplifting tone.

"Alright let's get straight to it then Mayor Brooks." He leaned forward and clasped his hands together with his elbows on his knees.

"Straight to the point. I like it my boy, very straightforward I can tell you'll be a very good person to have here in the community I can respect that indeed!" He said cheerfully.

 _Damn he never really shuts up, does he?_ "I just need to know if we are allowed to use this place as a safe haven in case we are ever in trouble as well as bring along anyone seeking protection. We are going to be doing quite a lot of venturing through the wastes and we will be pretty much wiping the commonwealth of scum. If we can. We must try anyway. Will you agree?"

"I don't see why not my boy! We aren't called the jewel of the commonwealth for no reason! I agree to your terms."

"Good. I shall take my leave then Mayor Brooks." The two shook hands and exchanged farewells. Ruby would shake but it wouldn't end well. So she bid farewell to the mayor and decided to head back down to the market area. Atlas followed behind her.

 ***Intermission***

"I will never learn that man's name no matter how hard I try. No one knows his name other than him himself. I guess if the dead could talk we would know something but that isn't the case now is it? He walks around with that same duster, sporting the American old world flag on the back and the number "21" plastered on it. Scars formed on his exposed arms as well as one significant one that goes across his nose. He simply goes by an Alias that he prefers from a past profession. The Courier. That is all we know him by other than appearance. In many ways he is very similar to a man in Washington D.C. who goes under an Alias but people know his name well considering his father was well respected amongst the community. The Lone Wanderer, Bryan, has done what he could after leaving his vault. He no longer has any intentions of helping D.C. or the brotherhood. With his father's death, he remains what his alias is, a lone wanderer. The courier is very similar to this man. The courier was shot in the head and went on a revenge driven quest in order to take him down. He did. You would think he would then pursue a goal of some sort right? No. He leaves Vegas in the state that it is, fighting between the NCR and Caesar's legion. Yet he still helps out the common folk when he can. It's hard to say whether or not we should be mad at the Courier. He did what he had to do, but left the Mojave in the shambles that reigned before. However, lots of people owe him an unpayable debt as he clears out some pests and supports any commoner he comes across. Almost like a non-intervention messiah. We try to pay him back in many ways but he always laughs and says that the gratitude is all he ever needs."

Boston has an up-and-coming figure in the shape of a Deathclaw that has traveled half of the county, and right alongside her is a companion that will make everything happen. His name is also a mystery to us all. This man is different compared to the other two. He is a very rocky in his personality stats but his Deathclaw companion on the other side of the card is very delight-able and sweet, all the while being vicious when necessary. He can be seen as cold but at others calm and collected. Evil and broken but to some nice and caring. This man goes under his own Alias. Atlas.

 ***Continue***

"Well then, that was rather eventful and well accomplished I should say. Sorry to ever doubt you Ruby, I know you have way more experience than I did. Forgive me." He couldn't help but shake his head in frustration with himself. However even though he has the approval of the mayor, that doesn't change his trust of the general public.

" _Thank you for doing what you did Atlas. It really was a good thing you did. It's like watching my own spawn grow. You matured a lot since we first met and it wasn't even that long ago."_ she stated this very sincerely.

Atlas laughed. "Please for the love of god don't say spawn. Say children please. Oh wow that was weird." He calmed down before continuing to another subject. "On another note though Ruby, it's dark, we need a place to sleep and even with Brooks' approval I am not sleeping inside the walls in the place. I would rather sleep on the roof directly across from the main entrance since we cleared out that area and we have visual contact of multiple different sightlines."

She looked over to the main entrance area and thought about it. Before she could even finalize an answer Atlas began his walk to the main gate.

" _Wha-wait! Why can't we just… what's wrong with… just… Oh FINE."_ No contesting it now. They both made up their minds.

Atlas nodded to the guards upon approaching the gate and walked out with Ruby as it opened. He didn't feel the need to look at the guard named "Jon" as he saw no further reasons to talk to the man. Ruby felt pitiful for the man as if he were a mere child to the situation.

The two make their way to the building so that they can head to the roof.

* * *

"How strange… why are they leaving so early? They just arrived the fun hasn't even begun yet! Oh-ho-ho-ho I can't fuckin' WAIT for him to give me the order. It's so boring just sitting here waiting and watching. I just want to get on with this. After all, we Spectres have to have something to do other than pulverize people all day. It's not like the HLV's let us do anything too fun. Well Atlas, you should really see what we turned out to be. A lot more interesting than whatever the fuck you are doing now."

The man continued to ramble to himself on his balcony while fiddling with some rifle with a big round drum for a mag.

* * *

Ruby was already on the roof waiting for Atlas to get there. She had climbed up the sides of the building thanks to her claws and immense strength. She really could get a really good layout of the area from the roof. She heard a bunch of thuds from behind her and knew who it was…

" _Nice try little one."_ "AW DAMMIT!" _"It's about time you finally showed up, I have been taking in the sights."_ She snickered at the poor attempt at sneaking up on her. She has far better perception than him that's for sure.

"Yeah right I was doing well! At least you can see in the dark, we don't really have eyes equipped for this shit. I wish I had a helmet with some night vision or something. So you can see in color during the day but what about at night? Is it the same just darker or do you have some weird light tint going on?" this worthless question really did get him pondering.

" _Well, my eyes should give that away Atlas dear. You are a very bright person but this one kind of throws that off don't you think? The low-light vision I acquire at dusk gives me a "Ruby" type coloration to the scape. Even if I lose my eyes I still have other things I can use."_

"Well… yeah that makes more sense than what I had in mind. Forgive me, my mind is clouded and I'm asking odd things to relieve it. I just have a weird feeling and I just can't shake it." He sat down and opened up his pack to lay down things such as a lamp and a sleeping bag.

"Oh man… Ruby will you be alright? I know you can tolerate hard ground to sleep on but will it be too cold? I can go find something to cover if you wish?" He looked up worryingly at his companion.

" _Oh come on Atlas, look at me. I'm sure I can last for the night. We will be doing a lot of sleeping outside. Don't worry about it dear it's not that big of a deal."_ She was warmed by his concern.

He pressed a button on the lantern and something sparked before it lit up so he could see a little more clearly on the roof. He could now see her clearly. "If you say so. I hope you'll be alright. You are the spark of my lantern, you should know that. You know how to keep me going. So I can only do what I can to make sure you are okay. Maybe I should have let you sleep in the city… but I can't stop fearing for the worst…" He set the lantern down and closed his pack. Taking off his sniper and drawing his pistol, he set them down next to the pack. Ruby was now laying down taking in his words. Before he could go and get in his bag Ruby had reached out and grabbed him.

"Whoa hey what are you doing?" he wasn't frightened but more just curious about the situation.

" _I appreciate your concern for me Atlas. Come here little one. You will sleep with me for tonight. That way I can show my appreciation for you as well. Plus, you'll be protected and a lot warmer than if you were in that little bag."_ She reeled him in and placed him next to her belly with her arms in front of him and her giant draconic head laying just above his own. They were both laying on their sides looking over at the light.

"Wha… just… okay. I guess I won't argue. Be careful of those horns though you big dope. Claws too! You don't want to wake up with me in pieces." _Wow, you weren't lying… its really warm. Like being wrapped around a big blanket but with it being heated constantly by the beating of a heart…_

She laughed. _"I'll make sure not rough you up. I don't think I'd hurt you anyway. As a matter of fact I would never hurt you dearest. Not ever."_

"Thank you Ruby. I will try my best to do the same. This is rather nice. Although I won't tell you why this is very weird to us humans. You may be prone to it but we are not." He laughed. "You may be smart but sometimes you are just as clueless as me"

" _Hush now. You will be telling me another time. Just remember little one, I am not human. Your rather weird discomforts are more natural than what you take on. This is meant for security and to show how happy I am to be with you. Don't make this to be some little love story that you humans are so prone to reading. My love for you is not of that caliber. It is of one who will be by your side to the day you pass, as one single creature. Human love and animal mating instincts are different. We do not share those thoughts even though at sometimes you seem to let that immature side show."_

"Hey I don't mean too. I can't help it at times. Sorry. But I am starting to understand what you mean. It's not like the ones people get where it's strictly for sexual and romantic reasons no. We don't have that love. It's like..."

" _It has to do with types of Greek love. It is not Eros as you stated. It is a combination of the other two. Phileo._ _The Phileo love refers to an affectionate, warm and tender platonic love. It makes you desire friendship with someone. It is also Storge, It is a kind of family and friendship love. This is the love that parents naturally feel for their children; the love that member of the family have for each other; or the love that friends feel for each other. Storge love is unconditional, accepts flaws or faults and ultimately drives you to forgive. It's committed, sacrificial and makes you feel secure, comfortable and safe. That is what we share Atlas. I love you little Atlas."_

"Hmm. Yeah. That is indeed what we share. I could ask for nothing better Ruby. Thank you. I love you too."

He soon found himself slipping into a deep trance with the pattern of heartbeats leading him into it. Everything was warm and getting hazy. Soon, the both were sleeping soundly in the arms of one another. Albeit one a bit bigger than the other.

* * *

 **HEYO Chapter 7 is out! Took my time with this one and I hope you enjoy! That quote at the top will be a major foreshadow in case you didn't really understand. I can't wait to work on chapter 8. Have a good one peeps ~Red**

 **PEACE!**


	8. Chapter 8: Ardaíonn an trioblóid

Chapter 8: Ardaíonn an trioblóid

 **I am so sorry for being gone for so long yet again. With life pushing me along and the fact that depression has been crashing me down pretty hard it was really hard to get back to doing this kind of stuff. For those who really do enjoy my story I really do apologize for this long wait for another chapter. My style has changed yet again and I'm sorry the style is always getting changed. Its just random. But yeah, I have just been so down for such a long time that I though about things no one should ever do... but enough of that. Happy year anniversary to this story! Chapter 9 is in the works as this comes out. Thank you all for your time and I hope you have a wonderful day, and a good morrow. Peace out friends.**

 **-Red**

The darkness of slumber seemed to reach an end. Everything that used to be sound silence and all-out emptiness is replaced. He looked down at his hands and tried to take in his surroundings. "Where am I?" stated the very confused main protagonist, his emerald eyes shining away.

"Why am I here? Is anyone even there? Hello?" He looked around desperately and things seemed to clear up as he found himself in the aftermath of a fight. The ground had been tarnished even worse than usual, with fire and blast craters still covering the area. "What the fuck happened here? Was I knocked out?" Atlas was absolutely puzzled by the current situation and had no idea how to go about it.

Glancing down at his hands again he finally noticed that his hands were bloody and battered. His arms were torn up and his chest had a knife stabbed straight into it. He didn't pull it out as he barely felt any pain. What he felt was fatigue. He wasn't wearing his usual clothing either, he had on some leather duster with highly reinforced leather armor on. His pants were a rough type of leather pants that blended well with his upper body apparel.

He walked among the grounds of vast destruction. Soon he began to notice limbs and bodies added to the devastation, all matted with blood. Atlas began to notice more details the more he took it in. The pain started to kick in even more as he also began to limp, covering his chest near the knife wound. Eventually, he came across bodies that he very well knew. They wore big exoskeletons of metal armor, ready to kick anyone's ass.

The brotherhood of steel. They must have been against some other faction suited in armor. Probably gunners. He followed the seemingly endless trails of bodies, wondering how it was that he was even alive. Something did hit him though. Where is his companion?

"Ruby!? Ruby are you there!?" He knew it wasn't the best to shout it into the area but he just wanted to know where she was. Maybe she had left him before the battle. Or maybe… just maybe… "No… no she can't be. She just can't. I won't allow it" he told himself as he shambled out into some sort of underpass. A little hole was broken in on the side and it looked almost as if it was an entrance way to an old sewer tunnel.

Mustering up what he could he walked into the whole and tracked something in the tunnels, blood. Shining more crimson than anything. Things were piecing themselves together as he limped through the tunnel faster, his breathing getting heavier and faster as well. He was in complete denial.

The pain grew even greater until eventually, he lost all vision. He stopped and looked for some kind of light still freaking out. Eventually, he heard a loud pound noise and the lights turned on; Old and industrial. He turned around with a gulp at what would be his worst horror.

There she lay, long gashed across her legs and arms, laser burns scattered about her scaly body, and her ruby eyes losing all light. They were reduced to a lifeless grey. He rushed over and cradled her head. Her big draconic head completely devoid of all life.

The tears flowed like a cracked dam. "No… no, please… don't do this to me, Ruby… please wake up. Wake up Ruby." His crying turned into a crying rage after she failed to move. "Ruby! Wake up please! Please, Ruby! I can't do this without you! Don't leave me all alone! Ruby!" He hugged her face sobbing hard. He looked down the tunnel and screamed her name in pure sadness and rage for not protecting her from the evils that now lay dead.

Atlas jolted upward in the fasted motion he ever did shouting "Ruby!" as he did so. He was still crying as he covered his face with his palms. Something poked him on the shoulder, it was long and sharp like a needle but much bigger. " _Atlas?"_ a feminine voice reached out to him from behind him.

He slowly turned around to see that there she was, Ruby. Standing tall and proud with her head tilted to the right wondering what was wrong. They seemed to be on a rooftop, with a lantern sitting close to her, burnt out. He was so shocked that he got up and ran into her with the biggest hug he could muster. He felt so relieved as the giant deathclaw wrapped an arm around him and soothed him.

" _It's okay Atlas, I'm here. I woke before you and once I got up you started mumbling my name and tears seemed to flow from your slumber. I am sorry you had such a horrible dream, I'm guessing it had to do with me…"_ she felt guilty that he had a nightmare even though it wasn't her fault. It took Atlas a few more sobbing seconds before he looked up into her ruby eyes, shining back down into his.

"No… no, it wasn't your fault." He rubbed the bridge of her nose as reassurance. "I have no idea what kind of nightmare that was. It looked like a bunch of brotherhood and gunners had attacked not only us but each other. The place was torn to bits and I even had a knife buried in my chest. I found you and held your head, trying to bring you back to me… your eyes were colorless… I never want to go through that again. Don't leave me… ever."

She was slightly saddened by his dream but chuckled a bit trying to cheer him up. " _Don't worry little one, I won't ever leave your side. You know that. You are my shield after all. I trust you and know you'll protect me to my last breath, and I'll do the same for you."_ she gently nuzzled him after her sentence to show that she meant what she stated. No matter how things got they will always have each other's backs.

He backed away from the embrace and stretched out with a smile plastered on his face. "I'll hold you to that you know" he stated while wiping away his tears. He grabbed all the stuff he had taken out and put it back into his bag. Throwing his bag on his back and holstering his deliverer, he finally slung his rifle over his back as well and decided now was the time to get a move on.

"Well now… what's the plan for today? We have permission to be in diamond now so are we gonna head back in or are we going to cleanse some scum?" He looked into her eyes, waiting patiently for an answer as she scratched her claws on the floor of the roof. She pondered on it for quite a bit but he did not grow impatient.

" _I think we should probably go and clear out some super mutants in the outskirts of town. I hear they have an ambush point set up at around North, north-west of Diamond. Don't know why the guards won't just attack them instead of just scouting them all day. Maybe they have quite a bit of numbers in the ambush spot?"_ She finished up her clawing and stretched her limbs out quite a bit.

He seemed kinda happy that she chose to go and clear out some enemies rather than head back into Diamond city. He really did not feel the need for watchful eyes at the moment. "Sure, let's do that. Let's just do what we do best and mess their whole day up. They will wish they had done some scouting themselves. They would surely leave rather than having to deal with a big fifty cal round going through their head or a fucking deathclaw coming to shred them to pieces. This'll be fun. Come on! Let's drop down." He waved his hand at her to hurry up. She snorted at his new behavior.

" _My my you are all fired up aren't you Atlas? What's with this new attitude? Is it also going to snow or shall the grass start growing back?"_ She chuckled to herself as Atlas groaned, replying with "Ohhhh bite me!" She did rather enjoy this side of him, however. " _You really wish for me to do that Atlas dear? Probably not the best decision you made."_ She walked over to him as she waited for a response from the now dwindled man.

"Shit… yeah, you are right I will have to decline on that. I would surely die a long painful death if that happened." He scratched his head as she picked him up and walked over towards the edge of the building, moving him just a bit closer to her chest. " _Ready? Or would you rather take the stairs?"_ She tilted her head as she was actually generally asking rather than trying to mock him.

"I'll be fine… just jump woman. Don't add any fucking tenSIO-WOAAAH!" Before he could even finish his sentence she leaped off the building, scaring the hell out if the poor, petrified man. She hit the ground hard with a dent now formed into the ground. It was merely a tiny crater. Once she got her bearings she straightened up and lightly placed Atlas down on his feet.

"God damn, can't even let me finish. I see how it is Ruby." She giggled to herself as Atlas did his best to stretch and brush off some dirt. "This isn't funny Ruby you scared the daylights out of me!"

" _Awwwww my little baby Atlas, are you okay baby? You aren't hurt, are you? If you are going to cry it's okay, I'm here little Atlas."_ She grew quite fond of teasing the broken man. "Ahhh shut it you freakin' lizard. Let's get a move on shall we?" He gestured her to lead the way to the ambush site. "I'll be letting you plan this one out. Since you know where the place is." He stated the last part more sternly than usual.

" _My how generous, yes let's go. And thank you for letting me be in charge of this mission. It will be quite the test for myself."_ She went on ahead and walked away from the buildings followed down the path of the main road with her partner following right beside her. A figure was somehow placed on top of a tall building not too far from where they were at, and he was unnoticed.

"Where the fuck are you heading now?! The more you meddle outside Diamond the more time is wasted for me dammit! You are lucky I am being restrained old friend, I wouldn't think twice about making your day a shit fest." The man grew impatient looking through the binoculars. He wanted to very badly to move forth with the plan but as a spectre, he was bound to scout until told otherwise.

"You know what? Fuck it! I don't care what big boss has to say nor the HLV's! I'm fucking getting this show on the road." He lifted his hand up to his ear and seemed to press a button. "Screw it, boys, let's get a move on. I am sick of all this waiting. Let's go give 'Atlas' and his little deathclaw a nice, warm welcome." He heard multiple voices say in unison "Yes sir!" with some cheers and whoops following as he moved his hand back down. He tossed the binoculars off the side if the building and smiled with evil intent. "Well then… let's begin."

Some time had passed before the two protagonists made it to a little back alley, eyeing the little fort that the super mutants had made for their ambush. "Damn! No wonder the diamond scouts didn't attack. That's a lot of fucking muties! Alright, what's the plan, Ruby?" He knelt down a little more to hide his figure as he waited for his partner's response.

She was crouched down herself, and she sat there thinking things out while spotting certain details that would lead to a plan. " _I've got it! Okay here is the plan. Since you are a very talented marksman it would be better to place you at a higher and farther distance no? So make your way to the middle floor of the building to the right and get eyes on the tangos. Once you get into position wait approximately 3 minutes before firing. Take down as many as you can. I'll head for a frontal assault and take out the rest. You make sure to take out anyone you think are the most dangerous. Got it?"_ She turned back and tilted her head.

He chambered a bullet into his rifle, smirking. "Got it." He placed his hand on her shoulder since she was crouched down low enough for it. "Be careful…" he said sincerely. She nodded and gave a little smile while sticking her tongue out at him. This caused him to smile and take off behind the alleyway and start heading up the building. Meanwhile, she went ahead and started sharpening her claws, getting closer to a spot where she could rush for the frontal assault.

Atlas wasted no time getting up to the middle floor as he didn't think now would be a great time to loot. There were no enemies in the building thanks to not only the Diamond scouts but also because of the presence of super mutants. He made sure that his rifle was ready to go with the suppressor equipped before sticking the barrel out just slightly. Ruby was down below and saw this, so she looked forward and growled softly.

The mutants were all walking around with their pipe weapons and scrapped armor, some eating and some just being moronic. They weren't very intelligent but they still communicated to the best of their ability. One I'm particular had a missile launcher and lots of body armor. He was standing watch at the top of their fort. As he looked around a glimmer of light seemed to catch his eye from the building right across from him. He squinted his eyes to see what exactly it was. Not know he proceeded to yell out. "Hey! What that light?! Me no like it. I blow it up!" He raised his launcher up to the building and before he could even ready his aim a shot entered the air. Loud but not booming.

The mutant fell forward with his entire head missing, tumbling down to the surface below as all the mutants started grabbing their weapons, yelling and shooting at the building. The shots of their pipe weapons mixed with the loud crack of the suppressed 50 cals echoed through the streets. Atlas unless a hailstorm of accurate shots placed on super mutants heads, some even on their chests to see if he could hit the heart. ***BAKOW!*** "Any day now Ruby!" He shouted out as he began to reload.

Soon the gunfire began to cease when a loud, bellowing roar rumbled through the whole city. Ruby sprinted as fast as she could as she tore into the ranks of the super mutants. She even ripped through some hounds that thought that they had even the slightest bit of a chance. The super mutants did their best to kill the deathclaw but their weapons just weren't powerful enough. The made scratches and some slightly pierced the skin of her scale mail. She simply snorted at their attempts to harm her. Atlas joined back into the fight by firing his rifle into the heads of the terrified mutants.

After taking out all of the ground forces, Ruby decided to start grabbing things around her like hunks of metal from a car and throwing it at the enemies up above her. She even grabbed the bodies of dead super mutants and used those as projectiles. She moved so swiftly in battle, it was so amazing to watch but Atlas had to focus on the task at hand. *She must have done this quite a lot before she met me. She has been through quite a lot.* he thought to himself as he fired a shot into the brain of yet another unsuspecting victim.

As the battle waged on from the upper levels of the settlement, Atlas honed in on making sure that every single last one drew their last breath. He grits his teeth as he continued firing. One super mutant had a big rifle just like his, must have been chambered in .308 rounds. He lined the crosshair on the skull of the bastard but as he pulled the trigger, his gun clicked. "Fuck! Ruby watch out! Second to the top at your two o'clock!" he shouted as loud as he could as he frantically tried to reload.

The mutant looked down at the deathclaw with his rifle and laughed as he pulled the trigger. "No!" Atlas screamed out as he chambered a new round into his rifle. But before he could aim down sights he saw fresh blood come from Ruby's left arm. She blocked the bullet. In one quick movement, she grabbed a big concrete piece and spun her body around in a circle for momentum as she chucked it straight at the super mutants face. He was too busy laughing and pounding his chest that he couldn't move. With a loud smack, the mutant dropped to the ground floor, deader than the one with a piece of metal in his face.

Atlas was surprised by the retaliation that she displayed, she truly was a professional. In pure rage, the world seemed to slow down as he honed his marksmanship in and started making the rest of his foes be reduced to red mist. Ruby growled in pain as she grasped her arm. The round that the super mutant used was an armor piercing round and it went straight into her arm. She was thrown off, however, by the fact that super mutants suddenly began dropping one by one in such a rapid session. She looked over in awe at the window behind her as rounds were being fired fast by Atlas, each and everyone just as precise as the one previously. " _You really are one talented marksman mo stor."_ she then hissed in pain once again from her wound _._

The sounds of brass hitting the floor and bodies dropping seemed to stop. Atlas was breathing rather heavily as he reloaded his weapon and slung it on his back. Without even thinking he looked out the window and straight down to see what he could grab onto. Seeing some necessary ledges he didn't hesitate to grab on the edge of the window and lower himself down so that he could grab the next and keep lowering himself. Eventually, he reached a good enough height that he just straight dropped to the ground and was brought to a knee from the impact.

"Ruby!" he shouted out as he got up and rushed over. Once he reached her he threw his pack and rifle on the ground next to them. "Ruby! Are you alright? I wasn't keeping track of my shots and I had to reload. I'm sorry, it's my fault that you are hurt, I should have kept better track of things… that was such a rookie mistake!" he tried to grab her arm but she moved his arm away.

" _Nonsense Atlas. You did amazing. You are an excellent marksman. I have never seen someone use a bolt action weapon like you and be able to dispatch foes so quickly and rapidly. Very impressive. Don't worry about me. I removed that blasted bullet from my arm. No need to worry my dear."_ She licked the area around her wound clean of blood and made sure that the wound was clean before resting beside the building that the mutants made their fortress on.

"I… o-okay. As long as you say you are okay. I won't let that happen again. I swear it." he walked over and placed his forehead on hers, closing his eyes and trying to calm down. Ruby sighed with content. " _I know that you won't, my dear. And even if you did I know you'll be there to make sure no more harm comes to me. Now go on. See what you can find."_ Atlas didn't argue as he slowly back away from her, slightly rubbing her nose and went over to his pack, opened up some bottles of water and placed them next to her so she could drink. He also took out some canned meats that he found and opened those as well. After that, he decided to leave his stuff but take his pistol as he went up the ramps and began looting.

Two Diamond scouts came by to check out the commotion and were surprised at what they saw. They both remained out of sight but one grabbed a radio and began talking into it. "This is scout team golf, our VIP's Atlas and Ruby have taken out the entire super mutant ambush. The whole area is clear. Let the mayor know. Yes sir." he put the radio back and waved his partner over. "Come on, this sector is clear, best check out other places." the other one nodded and replied. "Roger" and with that, they left the area to go scout another sector of the surrounding suburban of Diamond city.

The strange rugged man was now sitting on top if yet another building, peering down at Atlas through the scope of a rifle as he looted and Ruby, as she ate and drank what she was given. "God damn! They cleared out all those mutants like it was nothing! And in such a short amount of time what the FUCK! Why can't my fucking squad clear out places like this that quickly?! Idiots!" he was so loud that a few ghouls from down below heard him and were now trying to find a way to get into the building to get him. "Oh fuck me… forgot this place was ridden with maggot sacks. Well, at least it will give me something to do. Oh before I forget…" he put his hand up to his ear yet again. "Hey boys, gonna have to ask that you hold off on attacking. They are too alert and are showing to be rather formidable. Let's catch them with their panties down, over and out." and with that, the man disappeared view.

Atlas had gone around a looted a lot of ammo, caps, and he even found some more stims. They were going to need those and he now had plenty to spare. He went down the ramp and saw that Ruby was still resting up against the building and had eaten all the meat she was given and even drank the water. It was something to hold her for a bit. She had not noticed him until he out all of his stuff into his pack. " _My my. Welcome back Atlas. That was quite a lot of stuff you brought back. Must have been lots of ammo I take it? And I do believe I saw some stimpacks as well?"_

It took Atlas a bit to respond as he was starting to get a little dizzy. "Yeah… yeah, it was a good haul. A-are you okay Ruby?" he got up and groggily walked over to Ruby and sat next to her. She was beginning to worry as he had not fired his weapon so why could have happened? " _Yes mo stor I'm fine but I'm more worried about you. What is wrong?"_ she tilted her head to the side as she always does.

He began to sweat just a little bit as the heat of the sun began to swell upon him. Eating away at what little dignity he had, he decided to tell her about the lie. "Well… back at Cambridge, after the fight… I didn't exactly drink any water when I told you to. I lied to you… those bottles I handed you… they were the last we had. I couldn't find anymore. I'm sorry." he had turned away and began breathing a little harder than usual.

Ruby was so shocked at the revelation but it also infuriated her. Before Atlas could even think she grabbed him by the back of his collar and drug him over to a shady spot. "Ruby what are you-"

" _Don't! Just… don't."_ she interrupted. " _Don't you ever lie to me again you understand? I'm going to get you some water. Stay safe dear… I'll return swiftly."_ she turned away and was about to take off before Atlas spoke up. "No please let me come with you, Ruby. Don't make me stay-"

" _No Atlas… just no. You need to stop being so selfless. If I were to lose you what would I do? I would never forgive myself. I love you just as much as you love me. We are one in the same Atlas. Just one has a far bigger body. Stay here and rest. I will find your water and I'll be safe. I promise you."_ she interrupted him yet again but she let her soul spew from her words. She meant every word. And before he could say anything she took off.

"Man… I'm such a fuck up. Of course with all this working I've been doing I need water! I'm such a fool. This is probably the most careless and stupidest thing I've done. I am never gonna live this down. I honestly just… gahhh I'm a fucking moron." he leaned back onto the building that she put him against and tried to not breathe so heavily. It was nice and shady in the spot she dragged him into. "Please by the gods just be careful… please."

She ran as fast as she possibly could as she frantically searched areas that had been destroyed for something. The water that flowed near the bridge was too irradiated and nasty, and she didn't think she would be fortunate to find anything if value as they were probably already taken by either diamond scouts or raiders. Growing angry, she clenched a fist and punched a massive hole into a wall that was just waiting to top over. " _Dammit! Why can't I find any?! There has to be something that he can drink. I don't want to lose him…"_ she closed her eyes and grew saddened at herself for not being able to help him. After the wall had stopped crumbling she heard something metallic and decided to peer down at what it was. It was a metal bucket. " _Wait, I remember seeing how the people get their water from the ground… by one of those metal pump things!"_ she grabbed the bucket and frantically began searching around buildings in the yards for one if those pumps. She began to grow worried again when she couldn't find any. She even started cutting through back alleys to find one.

" _No no no come on please have something! He could be in danger right now I need to hurry! Please just let me find something…"_ she had pleaded with such a sad tone it would make a grown man cry. That tone is not something you ever want to hear from a woman…. Or deathclaw.

After heading down enough alleyways she found this blue metal pump that looked like a faucet behind two buildings that joined together. It must have been a well. Apparently, because of how far down the well went, it made it so that the water was almost pure. She placed the bucket underneath the opening and began trying to pump the water. She grew worried because after a lot of unsuccessful attempts she thought it might have run dry. Her worry and doubt stopped when the slightest sound of a water droplet hitting metal filled the area. " _Oh thank god! Don't worry Atlas, I'll be there soon,"_ she stated rather excited as the water continued to fill the bucket. After filling the bucket completely, she pumped it a few more times and drank from the faucet. It would hold her out even longer and she already knew Atlas would get upset if she didn't help herself.

The blistering heat seemed to calm down after being placed in the shade for quite a bit. His breathing seemed to calm down as well but he couldn't help his parched throat. "I won't make this mistake EVER again… this sucks. I'm gonna owe her big time." he tried to close his eyes to stop his thinking but some thumping sound kept entering his head. It just wouldn't seem to get out as it was completely in rhythm.

Out in the distance, he could make out a figure closing in on him. From the loud thumps on the ground, it had to be who he thought it was. The Ruby eyes staring right back at him. She seemed to be holding something but he couldn't make out what it was until she got closer. " _Thank goodness Atlas. I found some water. Are you alright?"_ she asked him as she set down the bucket right in front of him. "Yeah, Ruby, I'm fine. Thank you for doing that for me. I'm sorry for lying to you and I promise I won't make a mistake like that again." he sat forward a little more as he began cupping his hands and drinking the refreshing water. He paused after a couple of sessions to catch a nice breath of air. "You did get some for yourself, right?" he looked up at her intently as she looked back to answer him. " _I knew you would be more concerned for me so to appease you I drank quite a lot before I came to you. I had some faith in your strength."_ she stuck her tongue out at Atlas and he couldn't help but laugh. He settled down and began to drink the rest of the water.

"Sir, deathclaw has returned to the perimeter. It appears that she went out looking for a source of water. Over." the man was in a destroyed building rather close to their destination so he decided to keep his voice down a bit. "Good… next time they split up would be a perfect opportunity. It's 2 o'clock people lets make shit happen. It's me and four other Spectres, ain't no way we could lose this! Get ready boys, any time now. Just wait for my signal. Over and out" they all answered the rugged man in unison. "Roger!"

The two were sitting down next to each other, relaxing in the shade. They didn't need to speak any words as their presence to each other was enough. After just enough relaxing for one day, Atlas grabbed all his stuff and closed up his pack. Swinging that and his rifle over his back, he waved her over as they began their tiny trek back to Diamond city.

As they walked Atlas decided to go ahead and check at least one more building before they fully head back to Diamond city because he just really wanted to waste as much time as possible before going back. Deep down though he knew that's where Ruby wanted to be for now. "Hey Ruby, Is it okay if I check this building right here for any more foods or drinks?" he stopped his pace and pointed towards the building to his left. " _Of course you can. Just as long as you stay safe,"_ she replied. She became a lot more concerned about Atlas the more they go about their days. "I will." he waved her off as he ran towards the entrance of the ruined building and began his inspections or prospecting.

Rummaging through the various desks and shelves that now lay in dusty and ashy hells, he found some things he didn't really expect. He found 10mm bullets as well as some tiny cans of purified water. They had been there for so long. "Well, this is good I suppose. Not as much as we need but it will last." he was sort of disappointed with his findings but it was better than nothing at all. He headed up the stairs to search some more. Searching for more containers he grew tired of finding useless items. He heard something shuffle behind him and he immediately turned around with his pistol drawn. A man with a big scraggly beard, metal fist and combat armor as well as the sported duster. His face still bearing a scar. The man raised his hands up and stopped moving. "Woah Woah now Atlas, is that any way to treat an old friend?"

 **Intermission**

" _I don't know why I am the way that I am. In itself, it's a spectacle that I even exist. Taking such a monstrosity and giving it such vast intelligence so that it would better suit them for their goals. They wanted a super soldier, and instead, they get betrayed by their own creations. I may not have turned so easily but once I started taking in the world, it all became so much clearer. Being in that vertibird knowing that they actually believed that I was on their side made things so much simpler. Their acts in D.C. were despicable. As we speak they still torture Washington. The people are trying to make things work but with so many other problems in the wasteland, it's hard for them. If it weren't for places like rivet city and the brotherhood of steel with their citadel, then D.C. would surely be a hellish landscape. More so than it is already. But even so, I do feel sorry for humans, as well as my own kind. Humans have it really bad in the wastes. My own kind that they created is too oblivious to what they are doing. They could kill an infant boy right now and not bat an eye. After some extensive communication with some others, it does appear that they do learn to understand, however. They are intelligent, they just don't learn fast. This place in itself is such an enigma… it's even hard for me to comprehend at times. So much to take in. The hardest thing I have ever had to understand however is the one human outside of the enclave that has shown me any form of humility even though I am not human. A man that doesn't remember his past, hates the present and doesn't wish to look into the future. This strange man somehow became the one person I trust more than life itself. He chose to open up to me of all things. A monster that is even freakier than others. I can never repay that man for what he does for me. I feel the more socialized he becomes and the more he learns, the more selfless he'll become. The more he will try to do for me and others… hopefully. A strange man indeed but I love him for everything he does. He truly does have a heart. My little Atlas."_

 **Resume**

"Who the fuck are you?! How do you know my name?" he questioned rather surprised that he knew him. It really bothered him that he states to be an old friend since if he was he wouldn't even remember. He decided to keep it trained on his head just in case. The man laughed at him, his laugh was odd. It reminded him of a really deranged man. The way he carried himself wasn't very pleasing either. "Come on Atlas don't be like that pal. You have to remember me. Ain't no way in hell you have amnesia. We have known each other for such a long time. I only just saw you at Diamond. I would tell you my real name but you probably wouldn't remember it. Since you did Atlas I think it's only fair that I name myself, Ares. The god of war and bloodshed." he smirked rather evilly as Atlas ground his teeth. "You trying to hint at something? Fuck you asshole how the fuck do you know me?!" he further interrogated. It was really getting to Atlas at this point.

"Oh, you really just don't remember. Man, you are fucked. Just call me Ares for now. My real name will come to you eventually. You and I used to know each other before the bombs dropped. I am a survivor of the old world just like you are. It's just so nice to see you again… old pal." the way he said it seemed to peeve Atlas even more. He grew angry at the thought that he may have actually known this man.

"Bullshit. Ain't no way in hell that I used to know you. I may not remember but what I do remember is that the fucking vault I came from was filled with a bunch of dead bodies! How the fuck did you survive?! Huh?" he went a bit closer to Ares with his gun itching to fire. Ares had put his hands down with a smile still plastered. "I got on the lift way before you my friend. By the time the bomb went off, I had already been put in cryo. I got out only a few years before you because someone raided the vault and attempted to kill me when I came out of the tube. I put a bullet to his brain and switched out our clothes. He had this very duster. I don't know why you didn't wake but you are awake now so it's alright I suppose."

"How the fuck did you get a gun? I had to get all the way to security to get a 10 mil so how did you manage to get one and kill him?" he asked still very frightened and confused. Ares seemed to laugh at the man. "Didn't you see all the dead bodies? I grabbed one off of the dead security guard. You must be really bad at scavenging my friend. God damn, you got fucked! So anyway let's get on with this Atlas. Do you want to join me or not? Make it quick." he crossed his arms and waited for him to answer. Atlas was so scared of the situation that he wanted to just go ahead and shoot him now. This guy has a whole bunch of stories and claims to know him before the bombs. This is the one thing that Atlas wanted to just go on instincts with. He mustered up everything he could to reach his final answer.

"I think that you should just go back to whatever place you came from Ares. I am not the man you once knew and i can guarantee you that it's vice versa. I don't trust or like people anymore and the fact that you jumped out of nowhere with this information alone rubs me the wrong fuckin' way. Until my memories come back, which they probably won't, I won't be joining you anytime soon. Sorry about that… 'Old Friend'." he lowered his pistol but kept it at the ready as he slowly backed away towards the way that he came from. Ares had done nothing. He just stood there, with a blank expression on his face. Not even acknowledging that Atlas was there.

After making sure the stairs were behind him, he quickly turned and rushed down them to get out to Ruby. He was now beginning to worry for not only his safety but for hers as well. "Oh shit. Shit shit shit! Ruby! Where are you?!" he shouted out as he neared the front doors. Fear, anger, and desperation were in his voice, shaking as he ran out. As the sun hit his eyes he looked frantically for his companion. He grew worried when she wasn't in sight but heard loud accompanying steps so in turn, he began to calm down. She came into view from around a corner. " _Atlas! What's wrong little one are you okay?! I heard you from blocks away you sounded like you were in trouble!"_ she asked worryingly as she came to a stop close to him.

"That's because we are. Some guy in there is claiming to know me before the bombs fell. We came from the same vault and everything. I don't trust him at all he gives me a bad feeling. He told me to call him Ares. Fuck the storytelling let's just get out of here. Carry me." he had lots of fear and worry as he ordered her without even thinking. This man that came out of nowhere had set off his whole demeanor. Ruby herself was worried as well so she didn't hesitate to grab him. As soon as she stepped forward with the massive momentum that she built up, something hit her in the back of the leg that caused her to fall, sending Atlas tumbling way in front of her as she roared in pain. Dust was lifting up into the air by the masses. She whined a bit as she laid flat on her belly, with a hand slowly reaching into Atlas' direction. He, however, wasn't in reach.

Atlas had managed to push himself up to his hands and knees as he groaned from the pain. He doesn't know what the hell happened there but upon making eye contact with the hurt-filled eyes of Ruby, he knew whatever had hit her must have been serious. Before he could get up and go over to her a figure came out from behind her, with a rifle rested behind his head and a grin plastered on his mug. Ares. "That, my friend, is the wrong choice. I give you a lot to offer you know and you just fucking deny me?! You ignorant and selfish FUCK! I'm not gonna play this insanity game where I do the same thing over and over expecting a different result. You should have just fucking joined us with your wits intact but now imma brainwash your stupid ass. It's your fuckin' fault too don't be coming at me with some bullshit later on." he raised his fingers up to his ears and said "Let's go" before squatting down near Atlas. "In case you were wondering what i took out your deathclaw with, let's just say a dart hit her leg with a force of a super mutant behemoth and the toxicity of a radscorpion. It's a fun mix. You should try it." he laughed all smug with himself as he grabbed Atlas by the back of his neck and slammed him into the ground. This was followed by a loud growl from Ruby as he did so.

Ares gave no mind to the angry beast behind him as he flipped Atlas over and punched him hard in the chest with his metal fist. Atlas could feel many things wanting to come up and out. He coughed as he grasped his chest needing air. With Ares cackling like a maniac and Atlas getting beat with some form of the power fist, Ruby began to get angrier as her growl began to get serious volume. Especially since she now felt the presence of others. Indeed there were others. Ares' so-called "Spectres" have arrived. They all sported the exact same outfit as him except that they wore helmets that were all black and it completely covered their face. It was futuristic as all hell. From the looks, it seems to have a respirator system on it that can filter out harmful chemicals and the lenses they peer out of maybe resourceful as well. They had their loaded assault rifles with all sorts of mods trained on both Atlas and Ruby as they secured the area.

Atlas was fading in and out of consciousness as he took the beating. The power fist had done massive damage to his chest and stomach. He swears some of his ribs are cracked. Maybe even broken. He can hear all sorts of chatter but can't seem to focus to understand it. He looked over to his right as he laid there and among the many combat boot covered feet, he could stare into the eyes of the angry but heart-wrenching Ruby, both feeling so helpless to the situation. Ruby roared out in pain when another shot had gone into her arm when she reached it out just a little bit too much. The roar rumbled his brain and made the Spectres jumpy. Atlas seemed to regain some control as his arm out of sheer instinct grabbed his pistol that was unattended after the fall and shot it right at the helmet of one of the poor bastards. Blood spurt out of the hole left by the powerful pistol and the silencer worked well as some had barely noticed since they were busy talking but they all turned when a louder shot was fired. For some reason, Atlas couldn't press the trigger again. Ares seemed to shout as he dropped his pistol and laid his head back. The thunderstruck pain was now emanating from his chest. The last thing he heard before everything turned black was one loud, thunderous roar that appeared to also be yelling… "no".

 **Intermission**

"It is ironic, isn't it? In all of my nightmares, it's always her getting hurt. It's always her getting completely torn up on a battlefield. It's always her getting killed… and somehow I survive all of this and have to bear the pain that follows because I know that if I were to end it all so I didn't have to feel the pain, all that would follow is the path straight to hell. I wouldn't get to see the ones I loved. Even if I did make it to the right spot, whos to say that the one who watches over us actually brought something like her there. There is no telling. There is no telling of anything. Why is it that I am the way I am. Why can't I be stronger and smarter? Why did I befriend a deathclaw? Why did I react the way that I did when I thought I was gonna die to her? In many ways I am actually weirder than her; a talking deathclaw with the most humane personality ever. But nevermind that. I'm the one with a bullet in my chest talking to probably no one. I'm hoping someone is listening… it's nice when there is someone to listen. Being alone for those few years was fucking miserable. People betraying you, having bad impressions and feelings for others, trying to stay self-reserved till that miserable end because you have no one else. Not even a dog. Not even a bug. Not anything. Yet for some reason God gives me a bone by creating some freak of nature that can talk, making it even freakier. This deathclaw that spared my life is more human than monster. I swear it. I don't know how but it just seems like she is an animal with a human-like conscious. It's rather insane to think about but she is smart so it's not that big of a deal. We became friends. The kid inside me tied with the loneliness at heart pressed me to keep her around. What made her stay is something I can only guess at. Because I treated her as a sentient being and not a monster. I promised to be her friend and her shield. To cleanse this world of filth. We became one person. Two different personalities and sizes to the same person. But what was one side of a brain going to do without the other? In those nightmares when I lost Ruby what did I do? I lost myself. I was gone… dead and buried as soon as I saw her. If she feels the same way I don't know. I feel like I have been more of a burden than anything. I guess we will see soon because there is a bullet lodged in my chest…"

 **End**

 **You guys remember that foreshadow at the beginning of chapter 7? Well don't worry, that isn't happening for quite a long time. Thought I should bully Atlas for a bit. Ares is a pretty good bully too. Psychopath... anyhow, hope you all enjoyed and I love you all. l'll be working on not only chapter 9 for this, but also chapter 2 for Tales of Six and as well as another story that is going to be about a digimon. Should be fun.**

 **Peace guys,**

 **-Red**


	9. Chapter 9: Should've Gone Back

Chapter 9: Should've Gone Back

The shot that rang through the streets seemed to startle everyone more so than Atlas pulling the trigger on someone's head. So many mixed feelings were being spread throughout the group after the loud crack of the shot seemed to dissipate. Some spectres had chuckled over Atlas' bold move, others mourned their fallen comrade. Ares, unlike the rest, was shouting so loud his lungs could explode. He told them previously that they were going to capture his old friend and bring him into the light. They were going to convert him, to make him join so that friends could do what they did best. But as soon as Atlas took down one of the soldiers, out of pure instinct another soldier who was focused elsewhere fired right at Atlas, hitting him square in the chest with an armor piercing 5.56 and it went straight through. Like a hot knife on butter. It seems that Ares still had some feelings for his old buddy as after he saw Atlas drop, he felt betrayed and disobeyed.

"YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKER!"Ares shouted out with so much anger. So pissed he quickly went over to the soldier and punched him in the stomach with his power fist, sending him back a little bit coughing from the sheer strength of the attack.

"I fucking told you dick bags what the hell we were gonna do with him! I don't think I remember telling you fucks that you could shoot him now did I?! I WANT HIM ALIVE GODDAMMIT!" his manic anger is a major indicator and reminder that the last thing you should do when around this man is to piss him off. There was one person who overruled this, however, as when they are angry they actually are a force of nature. When Atlas's head fell back and his emerald eyes that once shined ever so bright seemed to face skyward with life draining away, all she could feel was emptiness. It had taken her quite a bit before emptiness was replaced. Something far more dangerous coming from a deathclaw. With all of her might, the emotions took over as she roared out into the city, shouting "no" overtop of it.

The group of soldiers was now absolutely terrified as she, despite the immense pain and poison coursing through her body, got up and stared into the eyes of her enemies. Some had stumbled and fell as they tried to back away.

"Oh shit! We are gonna die because of you Mendoza! Fuck! What do we do Major?" one of the soldiers shouted out to Ares.

"Well since you fucks didn't follow orders why don't you this time? Take her down. We can't get her to reason with us now. But if possible don't kill her." they all nodded before beginning to open fire with their assault rifles hashing out rounds. But something they didn't expect was a full frontal assault from the deathclaw. She ripped up a piece of concrete before they finished talking and rushed at them with it placed in front of her as cover. Her legs were moving too fast to count as a good target and everything else was covered by the concrete. She began to swat and bash at the soldiers, sending them flying away as she roared with anger. One of the soldiers she hit so hard that he slammed into a building, leaving his unmoving body to litter the ground. Ares grew angry before shouting out at his soldiers.

"Retreat! We have no choice lets retreat! We'll get some back up next time around let's move it!" he said sternly. They didn't hesitate to turn around and start running even though some were hurt. What they didn't expect was the chunk of concrete getting hurled at them with a loud growl coming from Ruby. The chunk of concrete smashed a soldier into the ground with blood going everywhere. The person who was crushed was the very man who shot Atlas.

One spectre spoke up. "Mendoza and Briggs are down! Fuck! This was a bad idea Major! We should have taken care of the deathclaw before we dealt with h-" he was quickly interrupted as they ran away. "I know you ignorant FUCK! We will be bringing a lot more firepower next time. If that man is dead I will personally drag your dead body by your fucking innards to the guai pits! Now shut the fuck up and move it!" the soldiers along with Ares were seen running off into the distance. Ruby stood up straight and gave out one last mighty roar, with her claws pointing outwards. She took this as a personal message and a declaration of war.

After snorting in anger as their little figures disappeared in the distance she slumped down a bit, the pain returning to her body. The poison had worn off but that doesn't change the fact that she was wounded pretty bad. She didn't care though, so she walked over to Atlas with a slight limp. She almost whined just looking at his lifeless body and eyes. She slowly picked him up and walked over into a nearby alleyway, placing him down on some soft bedding that someone had left.

" _Atlas? Please wake up… I scared them off Atlas. You should have seen it. You would have been proud. What am I saying you WILL be proud... You'll see. Just please get up Atlas. Please…"_ she looked at the blood that had formed on his chest and she began to panic. No matter what she said he wouldn't respond. Out of desperation she took his pack off and reached into a side pocket that held something he placed there earlier.

Not caring about her own wounds is something she knows will make him upset but he wasn't awake to retaliate so she went ahead with it anyway. She grabbed a stimpack using her claws and without any delay, placed the needle into his chest area and let the meds in it flow through his body. She removed the needle and sat back against one of the buildings looking down at him.

" _Atlas? I'm sorry I wasn't able to take off when you told me to… whatever he shot me with was seriously dangerous. Because of my hesitation, I wasn't able to get you out of there. All of this is my fault. I'm so sorry dear… Just please get up. I don't know what I will do without you. Please, Atlas."_ her voice was shaking as she continued to talk to the unresponding man. The fact that he wouldn't move, wouldn't budge, got her to eventually break into a more, sob-filled voice. She wanted to keep talking to him, to make it seem like everything was going to be okay, and that he was actually listening and would respond soon. It was utter denial.

" _Atlas please get up… in ainm Dé get up! I don't want to be alone, not after the bond I gained from you. You made this world so much more bearable. I can pursue my dreams when I'm with you… please don't leave me."_ she slowly and gently placed her giant clawed hand on his chest and it tore her apart, even more, when she didn't feel a heartbeat. Her tears had stopped welling up as all that was left was a lingering gloom as she stared up at the darkening sky.

It had started raining… the heavens above knew that this was too soon. The tear stains were now washed away by the rain. There was an overhang over Atlas so he didn't get wet from the rain. Her wounds were even getting cleaned. But a wound that will never heal is now laying beside her. She knew not of what to do now but she swore she heard something. The lightning was beginning to strike as thunder boomed throughout the city. Everything was coming down in such a short amount of time together. It's all too fast. She would have expected tougher enemies in Vegas or D.C. but she felt even worse because of her ignorance of the significant dangers here. One little demon from his unknown past has come back just to drag him down into the darkness. She was told by plenty of scientists about all the medicines they have nowadays and how they can bring you from the brink of death into an almost perfect state. She hopes that this was one of those meds.

So much time had passed that at this point, Ruby was beginning to lose faith, but for some reason, she decided to cling on. She wants to believe that his body is simply in shock or something. The rain just continued to pound at her draconic body as she sat there, looking at Atlas and then out at the ruined city. Almost at a perfect moment, she heard something, that sounded like thunder but in a pattern, and it was a lot quieter. She almost couldn't believe it as she looked over to Atlas with an exasperated look, what she heard was a heartbeat. His chest was now slowly moving up and down and the color seemed to come back to his eyes. Suddenly almost as if time sped up he jumped up and looked around while panting almost as if the breath came back into his body.

When he sat up, he began to breathe really heavily as he grasped on his chest. The bullet didn't go all the way through his body and miraculously, it missed his heart and lungs. He reached for his pistol but found that it wasn't in its holster. He had left it out on the street but he did not know that yet. After his breathing had steadied he looked into some bright little Ruby eyes staring right at him. He couldn't tell if there was tears or rain going down her draconic cheeks.

"Are you alright Ru-" before finishing his sentence he was snatched up and hugged her chest as she cried on. It's as if the feelings had come back. Tears of sadness but joy were flowing.

" _Oh, Atlas! I thought I lost you… I didn't know what i was going to do without you my dearest." it was hard for her to say this with her being so upset. Her sobs were just getting worse. "Please don't leave me ever again… please!"_ she managed to say all this in between sobs. Even if she has broken down and everything, she still resorts to saying please. She is so well mannered and polite it was beginning to weird him out a bit. Atlas was very lost in the moment as he didn't have any recollection of what just happened. He wanted to ask but for now, he should probably comfort her. For a big, draconic, overgrown lizard, she was really shaken up.

"Hey now, try to calm down Ruby it's okay. I'm here. I don't really remember what happened I'm afraid." he tried to soothe her but it was kinda hard considering how upset she is.

An opportunity arose the more he thought about it. Without even thinking about it he decided to follow up on his comment.

"As if that is surprising, like at all." he chuckled at his own stupid joke and for some reason this caused the rather upset deathclaw to giggle as well. That was something he hasn't heard in a long time and it was needed.

" _Oh shut up… you stupid little man. I just… I can't believe I almost lose you."_ she said with her tone seeming to switch back to a more sadder, somber one. Atlas was happy that he at least got her to cheer up just for a bit. He decided to start pressing the situation. He wanted to know what happened.

"What even happened Ruby? The last thing I remember was getting my ass handed to me while I was still down for the count. No rest for the weary. You had so much momentum built up that you kinda sent me flying with serious whiplash. I should have been able to do something but for some reason, I couldn't get up." he paused his talk and put a hand on his chest. "It seems like all the places he beat me at are now not even pained. But I still have a very sharp almost electric pain right where this blood spot is. Where I was shot. I know it's going to be a bit hard but you need to relive those moments just for a second to tell me what happened. I need to know…" he knew that deep down that casual instinct that Atlas keeps letting kick in had to have come over and did something stupid. He just would like the details.

She hesitated at first and he could tell that she just wanted to remain happy, he was alive! But, she unwillingly pulled away and let the rain wash over her yet again as her Ruby eyes shone away into the ever so dark sky. Lightning had flashed, lighting up the whole area. Soon a boom would follow behind it.

" _I tried to get out of there… I really did. But that weapon… it had something coated on it. His precision is much like yours Atlas, as he hit me as soon as I took off."_ She paused and looked down in shame as she continued on. " _My leg just, I don't know tensed up I guess. Then he put one in my arm as well. Something had triggered Atlas, when I peered into your eyes I knew something in you changed. Even though your whole body was messed up from the amount of force that sent you flying like a poor ragdoll. They were stupid, left your handgun right next to you. So you reached for it and shot one of their soldiers. Your pistol has some serious firepower behind it even though it is rather tiny. After that, one of the soldiers was a bit trigger happy and… fired a shot straight into your chest. Their weapons are strong Atlas… it went straight through your armor like it was almost nothing."_ she had to stop yet again as more sadness began to take over. It was a good thing that the rain was pouring.

Atlas felt kind of ashamed when she told the story. He knew that it was obviously his fault that he got shot. He needs to be more rational in times like that but… his anger just overcame yet again. He placed a finger on the whole that was in his armor. "Even though I may have been shot, the fact that I am here and alive now means you drove them off! Probably killed most of them right?" he tried to make her cheer up by making her seem like an amazing avenger but she was just too downcast to appreciate. it. Ruby looked back at him still keeping her head down.

" _Please… don't take this the wrong way when I say this Atlas."_ Atlas was going to ask what she meant by that but he decided to shut his mouth for once and just listen. " _I have had very little acquaintances in my life Atlas, and that is to be expected. The scientists back in the enclave were really nice to me but that's just how they are. They love all forms of life. Plus, they could have been lying and playing nice just to make sure that I stay on their side and be the soldier they created. With so little friends and lots of enemies, lots of time being by myself seeing so much death, it was easy to let it go. I hate to say this but… even when we became friends, I expected your death. I expected it and therefore readied myself for it so that I would not lose myself."_ Atlas was about to question why she would feel that way but his mind took too long to decide if he should say it or not. She turned away once again as she stared out into the stormy mess of the Diamond area. " _But... so many things kept me from being that way. You generally wanted to be my companion. Your childish fantasy held a tight grasp on you and allowed you to keep trying to be my friend. I saw your note that you made due to your forgetfulness. I saw just how hard you tried to make me your number one drive to press on. You generally cared about my existence even though it really is based off if childlike fantasies. I grew to love you little one, just like you do me. We are family. I wouldn't have it any other way. So when I saw you hit the ground, something clicked in me, much like it does with you… The pain no longer held me down to the ground. It killed two of them, including the man who shot you. They ran off and I panicked when I realized that because I am not exactly a doctor, you could end up dead with me having to watch helplessly. I just used that stimpack you found earlier. I sat there and hoped that it really was one of the best meds out there. I began to lose hope after a while but when I heard your heart begin to beat loudly I just about lost it. It really did bring you back to me. I couldn't accept the thought of losing you. And I'm so happy you are alive… please don't leave me ever again."_

This story had moved the apathetic man greatly. He knew he couldn't be mad at the fact that she expected his death, in a way he kind of… expected it too. Until Ruby came around he would have been fine with that too. He decided to not even mention this and focused on the now. She does greatly care and he does care for her in return. All of this had made tear flow down his face but it wasn't major or nothing. It was one out of pure happiness. He got up and walked over in front of her even though it was raining. She had looked down at the man with water or tears flowing down her snout. He reached a hand up and grabbed one of her horns to pull her down to his level in which she did. Once she was Atlas removed his hand and placed both on the sides of her scaley head and rubbed it as he touched foreheads with her. He heard a small sob come from her as they both closed their eyes.

"Hey now, there's no need to cry anymore. I'm right here Ruby. You acted at the right time and thanks to you I'm still around. I'll be fine very soon, ready to get moving again. Those stimpacks are hard to come by for a reason. They brought me back to life practically." he chuckled as he continued to rub the side of her head as well as over her snout every now and again.

They pulled back after a few more comforting exchanges. He just wanted it to settle that he was okay. He now knows that he needs to learn to control his actions better than usual, as he almost lost his life for not letting the ball roll. Then again, who knows. Maybe his dumb choice actually saved them.

After peering up at the rainy sky, he pondered on what they should do after that until he realized that they were on their way back. "It's probably best that we inform the mayor about what happened here. Might be able to get some protection within the city border. Or at least some better gear… wait." He walked out of the alleyway and headed back to where he was shot. Ruby decided to stay for just a few more moments to let her wounds settle just a bit longer. He found his pistol and picked that up. In the distance he also found his rifle so he went ahead and grabbed that too but went over to the dead body of the soldier he had shot.

Placing his weapon down, he began to look around on the black sported combat armor with a duster that the soldier wore. It looked a lot sturdier than his leather armor and he had to admit, it was pretty badass. So, like the scavenging bastard that he was, he stripped the dead soldier of his armor, but left on his bare essentials such as underwear and undershirt. He kept his helmet on as well as he had already put a hole through it. Tossing the body aside and holding this heavy armor he, in the middle of the rain and everything, stripped down his armor and put on the newly acquired armor.

A few moments had passed before he got everything on. The gloves were fingerless for better feel for triggers, and they had hard knuckles suited for punching shit in the face. The giant black combat armor with the supported black duster made him look like something he saw from a book. Something along the line of a Ranger Veteran or something? Except those were suited for deserts. This is all black. If he could keep this armor in top condition then maybe he can add some things to make it even more unique. Either way he was really liking this armor. He put his pistol back in the new holster, and slung his rifle back around.

Making his way back into the alleyway Ruby has noticed his change of apparel. Even after all the touching moments she couldn't help but smile. The outfit really fit the man. "Would you like me to tend to those? They still look pretty bad." he said pointing over at her wounds. She took her focus off of his new armor and looked back down at her wounds.

" _No, I think that I shall be fine Atlas. The pain has been worn out for quite some time, and the rain had washed them rather well. Worry not."_ She decided to get up from her little spot as he went over and grabbed his pack with all of his stuff.

"I hope you are right. God forbid you give me a heart attack of my own. If you turn out to not be alright I swear I will destroy half this city to make sure you are okay." He scratched his head a little bit worried as he put on his pack and stretched out into his nice new armor.

" _Not that I don't appreciate the gesture but I would prefer if you didn't destroy the city. Too many innocent lives would be taken."_ She walked out into the streets and took in the scene that she had left behind. A, now stripped, corpse was laying with a bloodied helmet on. Another corpse was buried underneath a whole lot of rubble.

He decided to follow suit behind her and then ended up heading over to the soldier he had just stripped. "You are one of a kind Ruby. That's for damn sure. Don't know what I'm gonna do with you." He chuckled as he picked up the man's rifle as seemed to inspect it. He settled on taking the magazine with all the ammo left as having 5.56 for armor piercing would be nice against some gunners or atom cats.

" _Me? That's funny, last time I checked my heart just stopped beating for a whole 10 minutes. I'm definitely the normal one here. Well… besides the fact that I am a giant deathclaw but that matters not."_ She didn't mean to get a little too uptight about it but she was still out of it. Atlas just shrugged it off, as he knew that she needed some time to recuperate everything that has happened. Life is strange that's for sure.

"We should probably head on back." He said avoiding what she said entirely. A huge sense of paranoia was beginning to set on and it was almost looming in the area. "We need to tell Mayor Brooks just what happened here. Hopefully the news of the super mutants settlement will calm his nerves just a bit but when he hears that there is a big militarized group that is manhunting the area much like the institute, I don't think he'll be very happy."

She turned to look at the man who had already positioned himself to be facing the way back to diamond. These outskirts could still be dangerous with ghouls or mutants still roaming. " _Are you sure you want to do that? What if they ambush us on the way back? Are you sure that you are even fit to get moving again? What if we get into another fight?"_ she said with much concern for the man. Once again she was becoming overprotective and as much as he wants to thank her for it, it did not sit well with him in regards to the fact that it makes him feel a bit weak.

He looked back behind him so his voice could be better heard. "You certainly are one to talk there Ruby. Just look at your arm and leg. Don't think I didn't see the slight limp on you when you were heading out. I'm not that stupid. Give me some credit. If I have to fight them I will. This time I'll be more smart about it. It should be fine. Come on. Let's go." He waved her over and began to walk with his rifle now drawn. His duster looked very nice when it flicked the bits of water off. It seemed that his armor was actually keeping him dry, almost as if it had some water resistant materials or something.

She wanted to protest but at this point she couldn't. She wasn't exactly in the best shape either, and it would probably be safer to be in the actual diamond. " _Coming Atlas."_ She decided to say as she headed up to him. The limp was indeed just a bit noticeable. It made him feel bad to see it and he was starting to wish he had a second stim. All the meds that he normally gets is the simple stuff; alcohol and gauze, maybe some pills. Never the life saving stuff. It also doesn't help that while he was in diamond he decided to give some away for the med bay, hoping it would make him feel good and clear his conscious but of course, now he wants them.

"I'm sorry… but I just think it would be better to just head on back. It surely would calm me down after all the shit that has happened. Maybe when we get there I should tend to those. I could at least cover them up or something." He was hoping this would give her some reassurance and hopefully calm her nerves just a bit.

" _I am fine Atlas… really. I don't understand how you can go from knocking on death's door to knocking on the doors of people who need help. You are so selfless at times it's just… odd. I want to protect and take care of you too you know. If I am the cause of nearly killing you again I… I won't know what to do with myself. If I killed you-"_ she wasn't even allowed to finish when green eyes shot at her Ruby ones.

"Don't say that! You won't! I won't die by your hands I swear by it. If I am ever to die it will be by my own hands and ambitions. I don't want you to bear that if I were to ever pass" seems like he wasn't going to be allowed to finish either as they continued to march to the main entrance.

" _I don't want you to pass at all Atlas! Can't you understand that?! I don't want to lose you ever! I have contemplated leaving your side so that I wouldn't put you in harm's way anymore but I know for a fact that you would only destroy everything in your path to find me. This… is so painful and hard for me."_ He was beginning to feel like such a jackass for shoving aside her feelings. He had to admit that his attempts at bravado were kinda extreme. But he really didn't know better.

"I'm sorry… I guess I never really fully took in just how hard that was for you. I wouldn't be able to take it either if I had hurt you. Forgive me. I'll try my hardest to make sure that both of us stay safe. We will be the best team ever you and me." He ended it off with a smile and that is just what she needed.

" _Thank you Atlas. Really. That made me feel a whole lot better. Hopefully the mayor doesn't have a heart attack when we tell him everything."_ Both Ruby and Atlas chuckled as the diamond city entrance got closer and closer.

"Ain't that the truth. He is a nice guy so I think we should refrain from using extreme vocab when giving him all the details. Hopefully this time when we head to the office those kids won't jump us like they did before. If they do I'm leaving them to you. I'll go to the office by myself. Those little devils are more interested in you than feral ghoul is in a flesh pit." He stated a little bit annoyed.

" _Oh come now Atlas. They are just kids. They can't help their interests. They are so young and adorable. What I wouldn't do to be a mother… I just love children. All of them wild and cute. Fun to mess around with. I know it's not all its cracked up to be but come now, being a mother is the greatest thing in the world."_ she began to drone out in this dreamy tone of hers. Must have been something she longed to be.

"Well good luck finding a deathclaw that isn't a fucking thundercunt. Those things are straight primal and savage compared to you. I don't know what you will be able to do in that department. Unless a clone of you but male comes out of the wetworks I have no idea what will happen." He hoped he didn't come off like an asshole but he was simply stating facts of the situation.

This didn't seem to put her down that much and he was glad for it. " _You may be right… but I have to hold my head high and hope that I meet someone incredible, and just like me. Hopefully you will find someone as well. I don't wish for you to be alone in the love department forever."_ She was a little upset that she had to mention it like that.

"You act as if that's a problem. I don't care anymore if I do end up alone. As long as I got you I'll be fine. Knowing you will be around helps me keep going. If and when you do get someone to be with you I know that you won't be able to hang around with me anymore. That's okay with me. You have a life to move forward with. But knowing you are around will make things bearable. Might drop by every now and again you know? I'll just make a house somewhere, overlooking the world. I'll try to farm. Make my yard look nice and make sure I have food. I'll be far away from civilization and I'll be in the wild. If something comes knocking on my door it will be okay. Looking out at the moon a couple more times as I grow old as shit is one hell of a way to go." He smiled just a little bit thinking about it. He could picture his huge wood house with plants growing and grass prospering in his area. He has wells for water and everything is peaceful. Bliss…

She grew upset upon hearing this but she didn't know how to respond to it. She doesn't wish for him to be alone at all. It would be miserable. She would try to see him as much as possible but who is to say that she wouldn't neglect her own family or neglect him? It would be complicated.

" _I… I just… I don't know what to say. Why do you not want someone? Is it because of that woman? She ruined everything for you… You don't even wish to move forward because of what she did."_ Before she could continue with more venom for the woman she stopped upon seeing his hand come up in a silence type of signal. She did just that.

"It doesn't matter anymore. In a way I can't blame her. I am not desirable by any means. Have way too many flaws. All that matters is that she is happy with her choice. If people are happy with the choices they make for a relationship then by all means. I'll take the pain. I don't care. When karma hits she will realize her happiness came at a cost. Hopefully something good will come my way. Who really knows?" He sighed as he saw the familiar guards posted at little sections with automated turrets. One of the many little blockades before eventually getting to the main gate. Atlas didn't even have to say anything as with the mayor's good word you can pretty much strut around naked.

Ruby was now even more dumbfounded. She had no idea how she could comment on that. Should she raise his spirits by commenting on his looks or by saying a female would be dumb not to come his way or should she comment on the not caring part? That as long as they are happy he will take the pain. She was just at a loss. It was a side of him she didn't really know about. This begins to worry her because if he has sides that she doesn't know of that could mean that he potentially has a more important side that should be addressed but is too hidden to do anything about.

They simply pressed onwards without saying another word. With the silence only being broken by the quiet thuds of her walking and the breathing from her large lungs, it was almost drowning the air. They normally don't go this long without saying something unless tension was in the air. To Atlas, there was no tension. To Ruby, there was a vast amount of sorrow and heartbreak. With the coping of nearly losing a loved one to finding out he still is hiding many controversial things, is breaking her up. Not enough experience had went into it for her to know what to do.

The big gates had entered their visions, as well as three familiar guards with their baseball plated armor. Atlas didn't say a word once again, he just nodded to the leader Jon and Yuri opened up the place for them. The big open diamond market was booming as always. A random guard at start of the market spoke to them. The eyes began to wander on the two yet again but they didn't seem as malicious and weird.

"Hey Atlas. Where are you headed? Mayor Brooks said he wants to talk to you when you get the chance. Nice work on clearing the ambush point. We all owe you big time for that. The whole place knows about you two. Good job." Atlas minded his manners and went ahead with putting his rifle to the side with the sling holding it to his body.

Hey scratched his head kinda nervous for being thanked. "Hey it was no problem don't mention it. It's my one good use out in the world. Anyway I think you caught me at a good time because we need to speak with him too. We are heading there now. Thank you for the word and compliments." The man chuckled and waved at him. "No problem pal. Have a good one." Atlas waved him off and followed the path to get to the mayor's office. Ruby simply waved him off and once again, did not say a word. Her mind was focusing on another area.

Atlas had took the elevator to get to his office while Ruby had to take the scenic route as always. Both wasted no time in hustling over and waiting for the go ahead. Didn't take much time for the clerk to say for them to head in. Both entered with smiles as Brooks spun around in his chair. "Ahhh my humble friends! Diamond welcomes your return. How are you?"

Atlas had wiped the smile off his face and had the most stern attitude he could muster. His anger began to soar through the roof for some reason as he began to wonder how he should explain these baddies to the Mayor. " _Time to break the silence_ " he said to himself.

"Mr. Mayor, we need to talk…"

 **End**

 **And with that there is chapter 9. Hope you like it! I'll continue to work hard for those who are intrigued with this stuff. Honestly I'm fine just writing it for myself but if someone out there likes it there is no problem in sharing it. I love all of you and thank you for the support. Feel free to review or PM me whenever with whatever. Have a good one and PEACE!**

 **~Red**


	10. Chapter 10: Worrisome Foe

Chapter 10: Worrisome Foe

 _ **Bolded parts are flashbacks from a previous chapter. If you wish to skip them feel free. You won't miss out.**_

"Speaking"

" _ **Flashback"**_

"Mr. Mayor, we need to talk." said Atlas as his attitude did indeed turn very serious. He had taken a seat in front of him and stared into the eyes of the Mayor, who was now a little surprised by his change of attitude. Ruby was just sitting back while trying to keep her posture down in order to not break anything. " _Why can't I be just a little bit smaller for a change. I am sick of always having to mind where I tread because of my size…"_ she thought to herself.

"My word. What is wrong Rogue Driftor of the Commonwealth? I had heard that you cleared out that damned super mutant settlement, and we here at Diamond City, greatly appreciate what both you and the Draconic Jewel did. We owe you greatly, and wish to repay your deeds at some point in the future. So please tell me, what has happened my friends." his tone was always so complementary and optimistic. It was slowly beginning to kill Atlas on the inside. Both he and Ruby acted with much surprise at the labels the mayor bestowed upon them.

"Rogue Driftor of the Commonwealth? He decided to call me that? How weird… First he calls me the Wanderer of the Commonwealth, then the Tamer of deathclaws. He must do this during his free time. He probably will be thinking of many more things to call us. Others have to be annoyed by this, it can't be just me… right?" he thought to himself. Simultaneously, Ruby was having a thought as well, questioning his label for them both.

" _Draconic Jewel…? I don't know about that… I-I know my name is based on a jewel and that I look a lot less scary than most deathclaws b-but he didn't have to go that far. Idiot…"_ she thought to herself _._ She couldn't resist giving out her casual drako blush from the compliment given to her. Atlas caught onto it unlike the mayor, as he had been around her just long enough to notice that kind of thing. He chuckled a bit on the inside but headed back into his serious tone.

"Relax Ruby. Don't go and feint on me. Mr. Mayor, this is some rather alarming news for the both of us to say the least. I'll start from the beginning. When we had finished clearing up that super mutant settlement…"

"After some scavenging and dealing with health problems, we set out to head back to Diamond City. Being the pack rat I am, I wanted to scavenge on the way back but I didn't want to worry Ruby anymore. So I decided on a single building. That shouldn't be too much…"

 **As they walked Atlas decided to go ahead and check at least one more building before they fully head back to Diamond city because he just really wanted to waste as much time as possible before going back. Deep down though he knew that's where Ruby wanted to be for now. "Hey Ruby, Is it okay if I check this building right here for any more foods or drinks?" he stopped his pace and pointed towards the building to his left.** " _ **Of course you can. Just as long as you stay safe,"**_ **she replied. She became a lot more concerned about Atlas the more they go about their days. "I will." he waved her off as he ran towards the entrance of the ruined building and began his inspections.**

He continued to lay out the scene for the Mayor as the Mayor sat forward and leaned on his desk, listening closely at all his details that were put in the scene. He was rather curious as to what could have been so dangerous and yet, so close to their walls. Last thing he needs is word getting spread and it ends up in a panic.

 **Rummaging through the various desks and shelves that now lay in dusty and ashy hells, he found some things he didn't really expect. He found 10mm bullets as well as some tiny cans of purified water. They had been there for so long. "Well, this is good I suppose. Not as much as we need but it will last." he was sort of disappointed with his findings but it was better than nothing at all. He headed up the stairs to search some more. Searching for more containers he grew tired of finding useless items. He heard something shuffle behind him and he immediately turned around with his pistol drawn. A man with a big scraggly beard, metal fist and combat armor as well as the sported duster. His face still bearing a scar. The man raised his hands up and stopped moving. "Woah Woah now Atlas, is that any way to treat an old friend?"**

" **Who the fuck are you?! How do you know my name?" he questioned rather surprised that he knew him. It really bothered him that he states to be an old friend since if he was he wouldn't even remember. He decided to keep it trained on his head just in case. The man laughed at him, his laugh was odd. It reminded him of a really deranged man. The way he carried himself wasn't very pleasing either. "Come on Atlas don't be like that pal. You have to remember me. Ain't no way in hell you have amnesia. We have known each other for such a long time. I only just saw you at Diamond. I would tell you my real name but you probably wouldn't remember it. Since you did Atlas I think it's only fair that I name myself, Ares. The god of war and bloodshed." he smirked rather evilly as Atlas ground his teeth. "You trying to hint at something? Fuck you asshole how the fuck do you know me?!" he further interrogated. It was really getting to Atlas at this point.**

"I was always a very cautious person, even though I now have a giant deathclaw watching my back. When I heard something behind me of course I reacted pistol drawn. This guy claims to have known me from before… before the bombs fell." He seemed to look away from Mayor Brooks, as he never revealed he was alive before the bombs fell.

"Wait what!? My word Atlas did you just say before the bombs? Before the great nuclear war that made everything the way it is are you serious? You would be over 200 years old! You don't look a day over 20!" The poor man was so surprised his jaw practically fell out of place. It's an appropriate reaction however. Meanwhile, Ruby continued to listen carefully just in case she has to interject or add in a forgotten detail.

"I was in a vault. Vault 111. The bombs dropped, and I made it to the vault. We were all put into these Cryo chambers… they made sure that we would never wake until a better time when the world was able to be rebuilt. I mean, that would have to be the intention right? Anyway…" he looked back up into his eyes and clasped his hands together, leaning his face into them to cover up part of his face.

"Something must have happened to the Cryo chambers, because when I woke up, two hundred plus years later, everyone was dead and only two pods didn't have two dead people in them. Mine… and what I assume to be my 'old friend'. I hate to say it but I also have some memory loss. I can't remember a lot of things in life. I couldn't even remember my name. I'm trying to get them back. If I don't, I guess that will be okay. They won't really help in this world anyway…" The Mayor leaned back into his office chair, exhaling rather loudly from all the information he is taking in.

"Two people over 200 years old, and both wandering around the Commonwealth. Good lord. If one of them managed to get a deathclaw, I can't help but wonder what this 'Ares' has at his disposal." Franklin Brooks was always having such a positive attitude. His whole demeanor was beginning to change to one of a more intriguing nature, but one of worry as well.

"I can't seem to remember who he was. My amnesia prevents me of that. But he looks a lot older than me. So he had to have come out of the vault before I did because I surely don't look 30 or 40 like he did. He seems to know a lot about me however." He added. The guilt of not being able to take care of this situation was beginning to set in.

"Me and him exchanged a lot of words. I ended it off with the fact that neither of us are the same anymore, and I don't even know who we used to be. So I tried to get out of there… and I called for Ruby."

 **After making sure the stairs were behind him, he quickly turned and rushed down them to get out to Ruby. He was now beginning to worry for not only his safety but for hers as well. "Oh shit. Shit shit shit! Ruby! Where are you?!" he shouted out as he neared the front doors. Fear, anger, and desperation were in his voice, shaking as he ran out. As the sun hit his eyes he looked frantically for his companion. He grew worried when she wasn't in sight but heard loud accompanying steps so in turn, he began to calm down. She came into view from around a corner.** " _ **Atlas! What's wrong little one are you okay?! I heard you from blocks away you sounded like you were in trouble!"**_ **she asked worryingly as she came to a stop close to him.**

" **That's because we are. Some guy in there is claiming to know me before the bombs fell. We came from the same vault and everything. I don't trust him at all he gives me a bad feeling. He told me to call him Ares. Fuck the storytelling let's just get out of here. Carry me." he had lots of fear and worry as he ordered her without even thinking. This man that came out of nowhere had set off his whole demeanor. Ruby herself was worried as well so she didn't hesitate to grab him. As soon as she stepped forward with the massive momentum that she built up, something hit her in the back of the leg that caused her to fall, sending Atlas tumbling way in front of her as she roared in pain. Dust was lifting up into the air by the masses. She whined a bit as she laid flat on her belly, with a hand slowly reaching into Atlas' direction. He, however, wasn't in reach.**

"She found me and I wasn't really processing everything too well. Once I cleared up a bit, she grabbed a hold of me and got ready to take off. As soon as she took her first step, she was shot right in the leg by something that completely paralyzed it for a few minutes. He said it was some kind of dart with some paralysis coating. He exaggerated the effects on it a bit too much though, seeing as we are both here now. Her momentum sent me flying like a ragdoll away from arms reach of her. She was probably gonna take off really hard and fast all one if I went that far ahead. She couldn't really go anywhere with the leg and her massive size holding her down." He finally looked up at Brooks and Brooks briefly looked over to Ruby, who was running it almost like a movie on playback.

Atlas turned back and looked at her as well. She nodded in agreement to his last statement. " _It's true. I was just trying to get us out of there as fast as we could. So I tried to build it up a bit in order to take off better. In turn, he got thrown with whiplash and I got stopped in my tracks by a very patient marksmen. It was Ares. His marksmanship skills are like Atlas and his. No way he knew I would take off at that point. He could have guessed wrong but no… he knew exactly when I would take off."_ Once she finished up, she continued to keep her eyes away from the two, not wanting to show the shame and the sorrow.

"I had not realized it until now but… you my dear are pretty beaten up. Once we are done here, I am sending you both to Alicia." before he could press on any further, Atlas raised a hand to silence him.

"We will go see Alicia but right now, you need to hear the rest of this." He was reluctant at first but eventually settled back and nodded. "Great. Now back to it…"

Staring back into his hands, he looked back on the old events. "I tried to get up, but my head and stomach felt like I had just been thrashed around in circles for a while. Ares walked over and must have called in backup, because a bunch of soldiers, wearing the armor you see on me now, came up out of nowhere. They were called Spectres, and I'm pretty sure Ares is a higher up in this private merc group of his. He started beating me with this… I don't know power fist I guess. It was awful."

 **With Ares cackling like a maniac and Atlas getting beat with some form of the power fist, Ruby began to get angrier as her growl began to get serious volume. Especially since she now felt the presence of others. Indeed there were others. Ares' so-called "Spectres" have arrived. They all sported the exact same outfit as him except that they wore helmets that were all black and it completely covered their face. It was futuristic as all hell. From the looks, it seems to have a respirator system on it that can filter out harmful chemicals and the lenses they peer out of maybe resourceful as well. They had their loaded assault rifles with all sorts of mods trained on both Atlas and Ruby as they secured the area.**

 **Atlas was fading in and out of consciousness as he took the beating. The power fist had done massive damage to his chest and stomach. He swears some of his ribs are cracked. Maybe even broken. He can hear all sorts of chatter but can't seem to focus to understand it. He looked over to his right as he laid there and among the many combat boot covered feet, he could stare into the eyes of the angry but heart-wrenching Ruby, both feeling so helpless to the situation. Ruby roared out in pain when another shot had gone into her arm when she reached it out just a little bit too much. The roar rumbled his brain and made the Spectres jumpy. Atlas seemed to regain some control as his arm out of sheer instinct grabbed his pistol that was unattended after the fall and shot it right at the helmet of one of the poor bastards. Blood spurt out of the hole left by the powerful pistol and the silencer worked well as some had barely noticed since they were busy talking but they all turned when a louder shot was fired. For some reason, Atlas couldn't press the trigger again. Ares seemed to shout as he dropped his pistol and laid his head back. The thunderstruck pain was now emanating from his chest. The last thing he heard before everything turned black was one loud, thunderous roar that appeared to also be yelling… "no".**

"You… you were shot? You look well for someone who had a big rifle bullet pass close to his heart." Atlas nodded as he kept recalling the moments.

" _When he laid flat on the ground like that, I thought everything was over…. I lost it. Despite the pain and poison coursing through my veins, I felt something to claw out of me. It never took control but I listened to what my instincts were telling me. I killed two of them. The rest had retreated. All that I was left with were the faded eyes of my one companion…"_ she had entered in once again. It had touched the mayor's heart to hear her do such a thing for a friend.

"Justice. You are a strong one Ruby. No doubt about it. No need to fret any longer on it though my dear, he stands before you now in the armor of his enemies. A sign that he will take them down as one of their own. Retribution!" he got a little too excited at the end there so he cleared his throat and apologized.

Ruby swore she heard that phrase from somewhere, but she couldn't put a finger on it. " _No matter"_ she said to herself. She thanked him for the compliment and tried to reassure him that she was fine, just still a bit shaken up from the whole thing.

"It's okay if you are still shook up about it. It's understandable. You almost lost a close friend. Any other normal person would react the way you did. Those vile spectre soldiers aren't people, they are cold blooded animals simply following that deranged man. We here at diamond will do what we can to protect you and anyone else from those spectres so long as you are in our border. We are gaining more and more security forces each day so I will try to double the patrols for not only clearing out baddies but for supply searches too. Thank you both for coming to me about this. You already trust me enough to lay something like that on me. We are gonna be great friends us three. No doubt."

Atlas was kinda surprised at that but he accepted it anyway. "So, to sum everything up, I got shot, used a stimpack, and now here we are. I was on the brink of death, that is certain. Ares is here with his group of spectres and he wants me because of the past I can't remember."

Ruby seemed to just nod. She really didn't want to talk about it any longer. Their roles seemed to have switched for the time being. "I understand, and we will do everything we can to make sure those spectres don't bother anyone. This is indeed a worrisome foe... Now, enough rambling. You two need to get to Alicia right now. Go on, I'll have you escorted there. Thank you for having this discussion with me." He shook Atlas's hand and slowly began pushing them out of the office so they won't wait any longer. He just wanted to make sure they were all right.

" _T-thanks Mayor!"_ Ruby said before being waved off and his door then shut. Her and Atlas looked at each other and Atlas just shrugged a bit before hopping on the elevator. She went ahead and took her casual scenic route as always.

"Where is Alicia and where is this escort he said we would ha- oh…" as he reached the bottom, a man in very rugged and worn, yet, heavily armored diamond security outfit was waiting right next to ruby. He stepped off the elevator and headed to them. _This guy must be his number one guard or something. He looks battle experienced and tanky compared to other guards._ He thought to himself.

"Mr. Atlas, Ms. Ruby, follow me please. I have been ordered to take you to med bay. Please do not stray off." his voice was deep and courageous, the way it hit the ears was such a cool thing to hear.

He turned around and headed off at a marching type pace with his rifle ready. Ruby looked at him rather confused by his demeanor but Atlas just shrugged and nudged her to move behind him, which she did. He decided to follow behind the both of them as he started looking into the eyes of all the men and women, who had their eyes locked right on him as well. It really started to freak him out. At this point, he just wants to be invisible as to avoid the attention. He just decided to look down at his pip boy which was now turned on to tell him what his status was and how he was doing. Sure enough though, he found something really bad, as it should not be there...

 **BREAK**

At an old but fortified building, raiders were locked in a battle with tangos they could hardly see, nevermind hit. The ferocious Raider leader demanded for his forces to win, but his own men were dropping like flies.

"What the fuck is going on!? Why are you dogs not winning this fight!? What have I trained you for!? Fight! Bathe in their innards you worthless pieces of Brahman shit!" He continued to courageously shoot his assault rifle at the targets that seemed placed behind cover. More and more of his men kept falling and he kept getting angrier. He began to yell and almost roar out as he laid down suppressing fire. A figure from behind his was slowly coming into view. When his gun went click, this marked the end of this Raider gang leader.

"You don't really keep track of your ammo do you? Useless fuckwit!" A familiar voice shot out from behind the raider leader. Before he could even turn around, two hands latched onto his head and twisted it with a loud *crack* following behind. The person revealed was none other than the scraggly bearded warmongering "Ares". Soon enough, the bullets stopped flying, as all of the raiders have how fallen victim to what is now shown to be the Spectres.

All of the spectres sprinted over to Ares and saluted him as he knelt down and examined the body he had just killed. "Sir!" they all said in unison. One stepped forward, presumably his second command of the group he launched out with.

"Sir! All hostile raiders have been accounted for. What is our next move?" Ares had put his hand up for his soldiers to stand at ease. "Thank you Sanders. Our next move you say? First off, grab anything valuable that you can find. Strip this place clean all the way down to the last fucking molecule. Then, we are going to torch this place. No evidence, and no new settlement. This place is fortified enough to be used by either side. So torch it. Once all that is done we will go ahead and pursue the fort. That needs to be our base of operations while we try to do something about boston. Any questions?" He stood up and looked at his soldiers who all looked amongst each other and shook their heads no.

"Good. Get on with it, we ain't got all day now." The spectres gave off one final salute and another "Yes sir!" in unison before taking off and doing what he had told him to do. Scraping and scavenging shouldn't be too long but it also wasn't gonna be done quick either. He looked at around at the fortified raider settlement and started to get all sorts of ideas on how he wanted the fort to look when he goes to capture it. It used to belong to the minutemen a long time ago and now it's just sitting… waiting for it to be snatched.

 **BREAK**

After some little treks and detours, they eventually made it over to the infirmary. They were a little worried as to how Alicia would act to the patients she was getting. What if she were to refuse service to them? Maybe she would end up a little to freaked out to help? All they could do was pray that she would help their corresponding partner, as neither really cared if they themselves got treated. Typical of them both.

The escort opened up the door and motioned for them to enter. Ruby had no idea how she was going to get in however. She was so much larger than the door hole. The escort seemed to not care all that much as he turned around and headed off back to his post, which seemed to have rub her the wrong way. It was just another man who followed orders to a tee and did not try to find ways to atleast help out along the way. He is paid to do what he is told, like a dog… or an enclave soldier.

Atlas started getting frustrated as well. He had no idea as to why they didn't figure out a solution to this before they came by. "How the hell are we supposed to get you in there? You aren't skipping out on this dammit, I'll just go talk to her and figure it out. You better stay right there Ruby." He gave her a quick glance to show he meant it and she nodded, even though she wished to object. He went ahead and went inside. Inside was actually rather nice looking compared to the outside, as it kinda resembled a poor man's shack.

"Hello? Doctor Alicia? We need some medical attention and we were sent by the mayor. Hello?" Atlas felt like he was talking to himself for a short bit until he heard a door close and footsteps approached him. A quite tall and beautiful woman with long brown hair stepped out as she began putting her hair up into a ponytail.

"Ahh so you are the Atlas I heard so much about. I want to thank you for helping us out as much as you did. You may not have known it, but your efforts in clearing out some places around here have already started affecting my office. I have been getting more necessities like bandages and alcohol, rad-away, anything that helps us a bunch."

She smiled so greatly as she talked with him. She went ahead and explained to him what she was told about her two patients and Atlas went ahead and filled in any grey areas. Much to her surprise, she didn't really believe what she was hearing. Something was much different about her now that he began to describe Ruby to her. She started getting kinda giddy at the thought of treating us.

"Oh my, I just can't even wait! I'll be able to learn so much from you two. I could learn more about Deathclaw anatomy and why she chose to hang around you by seeing if it has to do with your genes or if you have some kind of natural attraction to you. This'll be so fun!" she just kept giggling as Atlas tried to calm her down a bit. He was so weirded out by her sudden fascination but… **he is one to talk.**

"She is outside be she can't exactly get in. Your door seems to be a lot smaller than most. Albeit, the mayor doesn't really have a door, just a big archway, and the other door ways she needs to go through are kinda destroyed… yeah. Just remember, I was shot and need to be checked, and she has a bunch of wounds from her battle against the spectres."

They both walked out and when Alicia laid eyes on Ruby, her jaw dropped to the floor. It was real, every bit of it. "Hello Ms. Alicia, I am Ruby. Nice to meet you. I promise I mean you no harm." It took her a bit but sure enough, she let out a little squeal of hers as she excitedly ran around Ruby, checking out all her details. She checked so much so that she was even looking at individual scales on her body. She was taking everything into account from head to toe, and Ruby was getting rather worried as to what was going on. She looked to Atlas for help but he just shrugged and mouthed the words "I don't know" to her.

"This is amazing! Wow! You gotta come visit me whenever you can so I can learn more about you. I have heard of talking deathclaws before but the people who talked about them said they could pretty much only talk like a kid would. You are fully fluent and it even sounds like you have vocal cords! Amazing! Please come talk to me more often. I'll make sure that this place gets bigger just for you! No sweat! The Mayor will love that idea anyway. Hell he just might fund it." Ruby couldn't help but giggle at her for being so interested in her. It made her blush a bit. She never thought her species could be saw as anything but scary, horrifying monsters but she continues to be proved wrong the more she travels with Atlas.

"I will just treat you first so you aren't waiting out here with those gashes that I saw. Looks like they have only been watered cleaned or you may have used your tongue. Either way we need to go and clean them up. I know you probably won't want any bandages but you are getting some anyway. No its, ands, or buts." She went ahead inside to grab her materials.

"Sorry Ruby, but I'm gonna have to agree with her. You can get rid of the bandages after a day or two. For now you will just have to stick with it. Trust me, you'll feel better." He went up to her and she lowered her head down a tiny bit. He pet the sides of her head and the top as well. She elicited some kind of purr of some sorts. He didn't seem to question it, as she is an animal after all.

Alicia came back out with her necessary supplies and placed them near Ruby. She then looked over at Atlas with a real serious face. "Atlas I need you to go inside and lay down on the bed in there. I'm pretty sure that we are gonna have some complications with you." Ruby lifted her head back up and began to grow worried at what she meant.

Atlas was going to interject but she just motioned up inside, mouthing the words "not here" while pointing at Ruby, which she didn't catch as she was focused on Atlas. He just followed orders from the doc and did what she said. Walking into the clean and vault feely building, he took off all of his armor, put down his weapons next to his bag, and just stuck with his combat pants and boots. He could clearly see that there was a spot where he had been shot. So he laid down on the soft bedding that had something over it to protect the actual bedding from what can only be assumed as blood.

"Don't worry about him, he is in good hands. I'll take care of you real quick and I'll get to work on him so you don't worry yourself too much. I know your pain tolerance is up do I'll just get on with the alcohol pouring. Please don't remove these bandages." She went ahead and started working on patching up her leg, as well as any other abrasions that she may have saw on the lower body. The venom that entered her body was completely neutralized by now, but the impact point could get seriously infected from such big darts with nasty needles on the end.

She knelt down upon being ordered to, and Alicia began to work on the wounds on her chest and arms from what can only be presumed as pieces of concrete and bullets that were getting hurled down range at her. She thought she managed to block them all when she had the concrete up but she supposes that in the moment she just didn't feel it. "No bullets are left in these? Your body must have something in you that can break down and dematerialize bullets! That or it shoves out any foreign things after a good bit. Which is probably why you never see any walking around with any sharp objects just kinda stuck in them. So cool! I should run some experiments… well, nevermind. Another time maybe. Now let me bandage all the rest. I need your hand too. That was another spot you got hit at correct?"

" _Yes. I was hit by those darts in the hand and leg. I don't know how exactly it got through the skin of my hand, it's pretty strong I'd like to presume."_ She showed her the hand and she got right onto it. Ruby didn't like the fact that her body was covered with white bandages that were now getting covered in blood, it just wasn't something she liked since people might look and think someone wasted supplies on something like her.

"All done! I shall go take care of Atlas now. I think you should get something to eat and drink. It's been quite the day for you two. I'll send a message out to Haines to bring you something nice and meaty. He has plenty of Brahmin meat from all the cattle we have. As for the drink well we have a well over by the bleachers. There is a big tub sitting there with a bucket in it. Feel free to get as much as you want. If there is anything the Jewel of the Commonwealth has good it's food and water. If you and Atlas continue doing what you do, you'll be heroes around here. More places will open up for people to scavenge and make a home out of, and the world gets a little more safer." She left it off at that and went inside. Ruby decided she was probably right and went to go get water. Thankfully, it didn't look like anyone was around. She couldn't stop thinking about how she and Atlas really did help people out and now all she wants to do is continue. Not for the fame or title but just for the fact that they helped someone.

Atlas was still laying down, having his mind wander about. He had been staring at the vast amount of machines that surrounded him but eventually just started to think about the future for him. He snapped out of it when he heard a door close and saw Alicia enter. "Hey Doc, everything went well out there right?" Alicia walked over to an area with a bunch of cabinets and shelves filled with supplies. She put on a different pair of gloves and a mask, just in case. His wound was probably gonna be a lot worse than hers.

"Everything went well Atlas. No need to worry about her. I can tell just from looking at her that she has been through a lot worse than this. Some might say she survived hell just to find another level of it. At least she found you to accompany her." her tone was warm when she finished off. It made him feel nice and confident that she will do much better here. He just worries of all the things she had to endure.

"Now then, let's have a look at your chest here. I have a bad feeling that you have been running around with it still in your body. It has been confirmed that you used a stimpack, as the scar is already starting to fade, but it was never told if the bullet went all the way through. We need to make sure." She turned him over really quick just to test her suspicions, and sure enough, there was no exit wound from his back. No scar or nothing. She put this little blanket of sorts over him and pulled out what looked like a huge handheld camera. It looked a lot more upgraded and recently made compared to the ones he found scattered from the old world. "Close your eyes." She ordered. He complied without any hesitation.

She began to click the button and he could hear the machine begin to whir and make all sorts of noise. The ones he was laying next to began to make noises too and he was rather interested in how all this worked. He hasn't been to an actual doctor before and even if he did before it wouldn't be the same. Plus he can't exactly remember so…

"Okay, you can open your eyes now. I will pull up the pictures and see if I have to get the bullet out or not. Hopefully I won't have to." She took off the little blanket thing she had put on him and walked over to her terminal with all the data. He sat up and began to look around. He hopes she doesn't have to do some kind of surgery on him. He didn't feel any lingering pain after it settled. He swore he would be able to at least feel something stinging if it was still in there.

"What? That doesn't make any sense…" she said rather quietly to herself as she looked at her notes and the pictures that she took. Atlas began to grow rather worried as to what is going on. " _Oh shit, what is wrong with me now. Am I a synth too and I just didn't know it?"_ he thought to himself growing more and more worried as he thought about the worst case scenario.

"Everything okay Doc?" He stood up and walked over to Alicia and saw her looking at his x-rays as well as the notes on her terminal.

"Notice something strange about the x-ray Atlas? Anything catching your eye?" She handed him the x-ray and continued to look at her notes as he scanned it. He was confused as to why she asked such a question, because everything seemed to be in order compared to the chart she is using to contrast the two.

"Well there is no bullet. That's good. I can't really see what's the problem here doc." Alicia got up and faced him. She seemed pretty serious judging her demeanor and facial expressions.

"That is the problem here Atlas. There was no exit wound on your back. A wound may heal fast due to stimpaks but you can always find a trace of where the healing process started. There was no break of the skin, no scar, no nothing. The bullet… it dissolved in your body or was thrown out of the wound by your body. It could have had convulsions where your muscles contract to try and push it out. I have never heard of this from a human and you are indeed human. No signs of anything synth in you, and I've looked at their newer models. They can't hide their tech." She was fumbling her fingers around in a nervous little fit. She herself couldn't even believe it.

His eyes went wide as he tried to take in her observations. "W-what the fuck? How is that possible? A human body can't do that can it? Ruby can do that because she is a genetically engineered animal. I am NOT genetically engineered. I know I came out of that vault and I know I lived before the bombs dropped. Those are obvious. So how in the hell is it possible that my body did such a thing?!" He slammed the pictures on her desk and began to pace around the room.

"It could have been some kind of limiter that has been awakened from your near death experience. Who knows what else I can find out about you. You should let me experiment on you too! I can find out so much more about you if you just let me cut you open." She said this with a weird and scary smile and he laughed at her nervously as he backed away a little bit.

"Heh heh yeah no. You will not be cutting open me or Ruby any time soon. It's not one of my favorite pass times I'm afraid. If anything comes up again I'll let you know doc. This has been, quite the odd discovery. I thank you for taking care of me and Ruby." He swiftly put all of his stuff back on, holstered his pistol and swung his rifle behind him. He then grabbed his bag that had his caps in it. "How much for all of this?" he genuinely asked as he fumbled around trying to get an exact estimate. He had quite the bit of caps on him. Kinda annoyed him at times because he could hear the clinking of the metal. He reduced this by putting a bunch of soft cloths in between to reduce noise.

She raised a hand and made a "stop" gesture with her hand. "Don't worry about it Atlas. You and Ruby have given us the opportunity to launch more recon missions so that we can get more goods. Consider it a personal favor and thank you from me. Make sure you and Ruby come visit me again. I have many other things I want to examine. Oh! If anything else… weird happens, make sure you come to me first. I don't want anyone else to get credit for these amazing discoveries."

He chuckled and scratched his head nervously as he just settled in putting his stuff back into his bag. "Well, I thank you as well then. I appreciate it. If anything out of the ordinary happens I'll make sure to come let you know. You would be the first, besides Ruby, can't really get anything past her. Thank you for everything Alicia! I'll see you again but not too soon now, you hear?" He waved her off as he exited the building. She had a heartwarming smile plastered on her face before she buried herself right back into her notes and research.

He stretched out as he let the evening sun bask down onto his face. He let the warmth wrap all around him like a warm blanket. He began to look around and realized that not only was Ruby not around, but he forgot if he even asked her where she was or not. He decided to just head over to side of town that had a well, as he was rather parched from the journey they had today. Walking onward all he could ponder on was what in the world is up with his body. How did it reject a bullet by either dissolving it or pushing it out? He was human, there was almost no doubt about it. Just what else could he be though… surely he doesn't have any secret powers like a comic book hero.

"Nah, that would be outrageous. GRRR I need to stop thinking about it. It's all okay now, just get over it. I gotta find Ruby, but I'm so damn thirsty." He made his way to the big well pump and sure enough he spotted a big lizard sitting down on her haunches with a bucket in her hands.

" _Speak of the devil"_ Atlas said to himself with a sarcastic sounding tone. In reality however, he was very glad to see her with all those pearly white bandages covering up those wounds from the battle. He hated that her body scarred, as it shows just the kind of hell she has been through, and sure enough this recent battle was probably gonna be inscribed onto her body.

He rushed over to her side and she had failed to notice him and only picked up on his scent when he got close. She stopped drinking from the bucket and wiped her face. "Boy am I glad to see you Ruby. Are you alright? Nobody gave you any problems right? Did the doc take good care of you?" She sat the bucket down and giggled at the man, asking too many questions.

" _Calm down little one, I am fine. I should be asking you the same thing. Did everything turn out okay for you? If something bad happened I need you to tell me…"_ Atlas walked over to her and pat her head as she leaned down to him. Good thing she was a shorter deathclaw and that he was a taller human. The perfect tag team I tell ya.

"Oh come on, there is nothing to worry about Ruby. There is one thing that I have to tell you about but I'll save that for when we go to bed. We still have some hours left to relax before it even gets dark. I'm just glad you are alright and getting yourself a drink. I assume you ate as well? Or did I need to go get you something. It won't take long."

She poked him in the side gently with her sharp claw. He jumped a bit and hissed from it surprising him a bit. " _No no dearest it's fine. Alicia was kind enough to send a man named Mr. Haines to bring me some Brahmin meat he had. It sure was tasty, and quite filling. It was real nice of them to allow me to do all this. They tell me it was something to do with our cleansing of the local area. It made me so happy Atlas. Really._ " She got back up onto her feet and looked around at the city as well as up into the sky.

"Well you did mention that you just want to help people. It's your ultimate goal to help out from New California to New Vegas, D.C. to boston, and hell, we could visit some places in Virginia too. It is one hell of a journey. I just hope I can be around for the whole thing. You can practically live forever with all the things you were exposed to. Me, well… I'm just a plain old human. I could make it to sixty but at that point I would be a burden wouldn't I?" He looked up at the same sky she peered at. She felt hurt to hear such a thing. Her gemstone eyes darted right onto his, which were still peering up at the sky.

" _Why would you think that way? You are never a burden to me Atlas. Not now and not until the end of time."_ Atlas couldn't help but chuckle. It flattered him on how much she cared but he just doesn't think that would hold true, despite the massive trust and bond the two share. "You say that now, but just wait. I could end up being unbearable someone down the line and you'll have to get rid of me. I hope that day never comes, but all I wish to do with my existence is to make sure your dream comes true. I'll do everything I can to fulfill it. I can guarantee you that." He then looked into her eyes with his emerald eyes shining away.

She didn't even know what to say, she was so angry that he would make himself out to be unbearable but at the same time, she felt so happy that he would help her with his entire being. One thing she did have to take in was the fact that in a sense, he was right. She can live for a very long time, and he might not even make it to sixty years old due to how the world is and how humans are. He hasn't evolved to live in such conditions, he just simply adapted to it in his own manner.

"Don't let it get to you girl. Right now it's not that big of a deal, because whether you like it or not, you are stuck with me. We will tackle this problem when it comes." He patted her back just to reassure her before he went behind her to the well. He grabbed another bucket that was laying off to the side and pumped out some fresh water into it.

Ruby continued to look up as her mind wandered. She was so out of it that she had failed to notice that Atlas was going to get some water. "Ahhhh this is refreshing. I'll be damned if this isn't the coolest and most refreshing water we have had in a long time. Those purified waters have that can taste to them. Some got the plastic bottle type to it but THIS… this is great. I never thought i would appreciate the taste of water until a damn apocalypse hit," he said very cheeringly. For once he tried to stay in a good mood, since a whole lot of bad stuff had happened that day.

He finished up his drink and went over to Ruby, tapping her side. "Oi, you okay girl? You aren't still thinking about all those things are you?" She seemed to snap out of it just enough to peer back down at Atlas. " _Sorry little one, it's just been a rather eventful day. The sun is coming down, and all I can think about is all the negative things that happened today. I can't shake the feeling of almost losing you. On top of that, you and Alicia have discovered something and refuse to tell me at this instant so I can only assume it's bad. I just need to get over it, but I'm finding that to be harder than just saying so. You will have to forgive me. I am gonna go and take a stroll. I need to clear my head."_ She turned away and set off towards the market area, not even allowing Atlas to respond in the slightest. All he did was stick his hand out to reach for her, but she was already too far away. He wanted to say something, but the words couldn't leave his mouth. He never really felt this before, but the only way he could explain it was a feeling of massive despair, helplessness, and guilt over something he had no idea would happen. He wanted to help her so bad, but his body refused. This was a little foreign to him.

He decided to just walk over to the bleachers, since they had a nice view of the whole place. He walked up the steps to get a seat in the top row. Once he found a reasonable seat, he swung his rifle off and put it in the seat next to him. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he covered his face into his clasped hands. He had no idea why he couldn't say anything or help her out, but he hopes that she can at least feel better after having some alone time. "It really has been an eventful day…"

Meanwhile, Ruby had climbed up and out of Diamond city, and was now currently on top of a very large building that could actually look into diamond. She tried to calm down and observed the market area with her watchful eye, and from her position it was rather hard to spot her. She also looked around at all the outskirts of Diamond city, and she noticed just how much safer it was becoming for the residents and the guards. She could see the vast amount of patrols and recon teams wandering on the outskirts, and she knew that this opened up new opportunities for everyone.

Something caught her eye as she continued to look around, struggling to clear her head. Inside diamond, at the very back where the giant bleachers begin to branch upward, she saw a man who was leaning forward with his face hidden into his hands. Her excellent eyesight saw the armor he wore, and weapon next to him, and she knew just who it was. The guilt was starting to rise greatly…

"I shouldn't have shot that guy… why did I think that was a smart idea? We were completely surrounded and I thought it would be good to clip one of their guys right there and then? What if they decided to hurt her instead? What then? Why can't I just keep a level head when I'm in these dumb situations… FUCK!" he screamed out as he punched the seat in front of him. His shout was heard all around as it was quite loud, but no one dared to check in on it because there was no screams of pain, no cries for help. Simply an angered and troubled man.

"Get a fucking grip man, I am better than this. I NEED to be better than this. I can't risk anything stupid happening again. I never meant to scare her so bad to the point where she barely wants to be around me now… all because of my own dumb decision. Fuck man… I hope I can make it up to her." He just leaned back in his chair with a sigh, gazing up as the stars began to come out.

She could hear his shout and knew that she was probably the cause of this. She wanted so badly to just go down there and comfort him, apologizing for what she did. At the same time, she feels that they both need to clear their heads. Staying up on the building, she curled up and laid down in order to try and fall asleep. She gave one last final glance at Atlas, with her Ruby eyes sparkling away. " _Goodnight Atlas… sleep well little one. I do hope you will forgive me"_

It didn't take long for Diamond to calm down, some lights were starting to go off and Ruby found herself fast asleep rather early on compared to most. Atlas however, would be staying up all night, wondering if she is okay. Contemplating what he should do because of his actions. His mind was scrambled. He almost died, his "old friend" from before the bombs is alive and wants to recruit him, he got Ruby hurt, his body is acting weird. "So crazy… everything is just..so crazy..." He stayed this way for hours until his fated exhaustion took its toll, and knocked him unconscious. What a hell of a day…

 **Hey all, I am once again very sorry for not updating in so long. I have just been so busy with other projects, like "The Fighting Club" by Jun and Takeshi, as well as helping out a friend named ForeverScarred with his story called "You Saved Me". With all of that as well as life stuff I guess I got side tracked. I apologize greatly, and hope you enjoy this recent addition. Love all the support, and Love you all.**

 **-RedRonin**


	11. Chapter 11: Clear the Fog

Chapter 11: Clear the Fog

The air was thick and a tad Smokey as Atlas started to stir. His vision was hazy as he lifted his head up and tried his best to gather his surroundings. He could see a light over in the distance in front of him, and could hear people chatting and laughing around this light. His vision had began to return to him, and he realized that it was a bonfire with some townspeople in front of it. "I fell asleep? Really? Damn…" He said to himself rubbing his watered eyes and stretching. Releasing a yawn to signal he is now ready to go, he got up and looked around to see that he did indeed fall asleep on the bleachers. He must have been both physically and mentally exhausted to ever fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position. Raising his pip boy up, he peered into the clock and realized that it just hit 4:47 in the morning, and that he would he running in a solid four hours of sleep, maybe less.

Sighing, Atlas grabbed his rifle and pack, slung it over his shoulder and headed off. He headed off the bleachers and passed by the group at the fire, nodding to them when they waved at him. Their chatter continued and Atlas had no focus on their conversation, sounding like nothing but muttering nonsense. He just went through the winding turns that plagued the outer ends of the diamond and then went through the dark and quiet market in the center. There were a few guards, but the market was pretty much baron. "Morning Atlas, how come you are up so early?" A voice sprung out from behind him. Upon turning around, he was met with the tall, beautiful woman that had healed both he and Ruby.

"Doc Alicia, I sure didn't expect you to be up at around this time." His eyes met with hers and she came to his side and strolled with him. "I didn't get much sleep if I'm being honest. I just couldn't stop thinking about you and Ruby, such remarkable creatures you and her are." Atlas's face to red a bit as he stayed by her, flustered beyond all comprehension. "You include me because of the bullet thing… right?" He asked intently.

"Yes, that is a major role in your part." She replied, but this made Atlas question it further. "What about the other part? You know something I don't?" Alicia giggled quietly to herself. "I can't tell you that. Doctor's secret. Don't worry, it's not anything dangerous or something you should know about." Atlas sighed, scratching his head. "Man, you women and your secrets…" He said jokingly, causing Alicia to punch his arm, causing Atlas to give out a quiet yelp.

"We are allowed to have our secrets." He said, giggling again as Atlas rubbed his arm, hissing. "Now you didn't answer my question, why are you up so early?" She asked rather serious compared to before. Atlas rubbed his arm, looking up into the night sky, watching as the stars get their last twinkle in before the sun comes up in a couple hours. "I just didn't get that much sleep, same as you. I had a lot on my mind yesterday, and Ruby had to go off and clear her head. I was trying to clear my thoughts on the bleachers as well, but I guess my exhaustion took over and I fell asleep. Ruby wasn't back, so I assume she is off sleeping on her own like she used to." Alicia looked into his green eyes, which were staring vastly at the stars. She could see his gestures change when he mentioned her lonesomeness.

"You really do care for her, and she greatly cares for you. You have to remind herself that no matter how much stuff she may have gone through, she now has you… right?" She explained, trying to make him feel better about the situation. "Yeah Doc, you are right. It's just that… The truth behind it all is that I have been alone for so long in this apocalyptic wasteland. I had one person with me before… but I don't wanna mention her." Alicia raised a brow at that mention, and she now pondered on what he was talking about. She did not plan on pushing it. _"Another time."_ She said to herself, letting Atlas continue.

"Anyways, any memories I have from the real world we all used to live in is now hazy. I can't even remember my own damn name for christs sake. When we came together, the kid in me was all too intrigued by what she was, and I wanted her to travel with me. An intelligent deathclaw roaming the commonwealth is about as rare as a pre war set of power armor sitting unattended. She had been in a similar instance as me, in so many ways. She had been alone for so long, that I guess in my mind she was just like me. We needed each other in the end. We were both alone, and we tied together our ideals to helping out each other while helping the world out, although I don't exactly do that on my own. I do it for her mostly… I'm sorry, I'm rambling a lot."

Alicia laughed as they made their way to the entrance. "What?" He asked, wondering what could have been so funny. "Nothing Atlas, you are just so sweet. I'm glad you found each other, otherwise you would both still out there all alone in the world. You two are really something else, I wouldn't mind traveling with you both." Atlas widened his eyes as she said that. " _Another group member would be a whole lot safer, plus she is a doc and that could benefit both me and Ruby both. Here's to hoping she is good with a gun."_ He thought to himself. Before he could even say a word however, Alicia cut right in.

"I have too many people to take care of here though. I am the only Doctor for miles. Unless someone else shows up with that medical experience, people won't exactly be in the best shape."

" _Damn… There goes that idea."_ He thought to himself yet again, sighing in disappointment. "Well that sucks, we would have really appreciated you coming with us." Alicia smiled genuinely. "I know you would have. It would have been nice to travel with the only intelligent deathclaw in the commonwealth and the handsome drifter that has her at his hip." His cheeks grew rosy red again, wondering why she was so nice to him. " _Is she flirting with me?"_

"Y-yeah. If you ever change your mind, please feel free to let us know. Just know that we are only in town until we can clear it out well enough to move on. Hopefully another doctor comes around, because we honestly need you in our group." He said with sincerity.

"Tell me about it. Both of you are reckless and get torn up just to get mad and sad at the other for putting themselves in that spot in the first place. Add me into the mix, and you got a bad bitch with a big old rifle who can make sure bullets won't even get close to harming you. If you somehow managed to get hurt, I'll just fix you right up. Simple." She boasted in a courageous and humorous tone.

"That sounds like someone we need for sure." He replied with the both of them laughing stopping at the gate out of Diamond. "Well, here is where I see you off Atlas. You make sure to come see me next time you come around. I'd love to talk with you some more. Ruby too, if she will let me near her." She and Atlas chuckled. "Yeah, for sure. I'll catch you later Alicia, try to rest up now. You need it."

"Ahh don't worry about me. You get some you blockhead." He turned around and walked off, waving her hand and swaying her hips in a way that seemed to entrance Atlas for a second before he waved back. "I will." He said back, eyeing her the entire way as she walked off until she was no longer in view. "Oi, you can stop staring at the Doc, on your way." The burley guard said to Atlas, causing him to suck his teeth. "I wasn't staring, shut it." He said blushing, knowing damn well he looked like a deer in headlights. He doesn't know why, but he was really taking a liking to the Doc.

He went on his way out of Diamond city, walking along with his sporting new suit of armor with his pistol ready in its holster, his rifle in hand, and his pack behind him for scavenging. With the new pouches on his utility belt, he would be able to load his weapons a lot quicker than before. He had a sheath for his combat knife located on his right thigh, and it was perfect in a clutch scenario. All in all, he really liked his new gear.

As he patrolled the safer streets, he would pass by many other patrols of other guards and even some scavengers, all wandering around thanks to the safer roads he and Ruby cleared. He just wish she was around, but the both of them needed to clear their heads, and she was probably asleep. It was very late at night… or early in the morning as some folks would put it, and this was normally the time that nightmares would wake him up had he slept alone.

Atlas was wondering about a lot of things. He wondered what he should do with all the caps he has on him. He doesn't really like to carry them sometimes as they seem to make unnecessary noise. He wondered what he should go out and kill. He wondered what he was going to do when he returned to Diamond. He wondered what he should do when Ruby returns… will she be alright? "Fuck if I know anymore. I'm always finding ways to fuck something up. What a surprise…"

He rubbed his hair in annoyance, wishing things could have gone differently as always. His mind was very troubled. One side of it was focusing on Ruby, hoping that she is okay and wondering if she will return to him. The other side, was about Alicia. He wanted her to come with them so bad, but he knows that she is valuable to Diamond. His reasons for wanting her to come, had either been a bit foreign, or hadn't been felt in a long time.

The sun had begin to rise over the land. The clock was now striking six, and the streets were beginning to teem with the warm light. He liked the bits of warmth hitting the back of his neck as he walked.

Atlas continued to walk the outskirts of diamond, however his paths began to get a little sketchy. He was walking down roads with big buildings on both sides of him, and he could easily be snatched up by Ares should he not watch himself. He slung his rifle off his shoulder and now had it in hand, safety off and ready to blow someone's head off. Walking on and on, his head did not clear at all. His eyes were still as sharp as ever as he scanned for any threats around him. If he was going to be completely focused though, he would have to clear his mind. "Were it so easy…" he said to himself rather quietly.

Looking up ahead, he began to notice a bunch of bodies. These bodies appeared to be charred and nearly ash. There could be many possibilities to what those bodies could be, and he didn't take any chances. Aiming down the scope of his rifle, he closed his left eye and took deep, slow breathes. Slowly squeezing the trigger, his rifle made the proper sound off with his suppressor attached to the end of the barrel. The bullet was sent down range and into the back of one of the charred bodies, causing a little red hole to form. This gave him two potential answers; either that was a ghoul that was feigning death or he had just shot the dead body of someone who got burnt alive.

Straightening himself up, he rechambered a round and scoffed. "It didn't move or make a noise at all, so I probably just gibbed some poor guys body. Sorry mate." He said to himself as he walked forward. He failed to take something into account however. He walked forward and didn't realize the alley to his right. Had his mind been clear, he would have noticed it. He picked up his rifle as fast as he could, but it was too late. A feral ghoul, charred and burnt to a crisp, lunged out at him. The scream it had made with its raspy and destroyed lungs filled the air as it tackled him, knocking him on the ground and shoving his rifle away from him. "AHHH!" He screamed as he held it's head away from his face, seeing it chomp and bite at the air hoping to take a chunk out of him. "Get the-FUCK OFF ME!" He yelled, punching it and rolling it over to his left. He wasted little time in reaching for his pistol in his holster and drawing it, putting the barrel to the head of the ghoul still groaning and moaning. A swift trigger pull caused some brain matter grey to spray. Once the body fell limp, Atlas looked up to see more ghouls father down the road, all screaming and running to him. He quickly got up and slung his rifle back on his back.

A good swarm of at least twenty ghouls were all chasing after Atlas as he back peddled, firing pistol rounds into the mob heading his way. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Keep back you little bastards!" He shouted as he turned tail and ran as fast as he could while reloading his pistol, making sure to keep his empty mags by placing them in his pouches.

He turned back around with a loaded mag ready, continuing to fire into the ghouls. More and more ended up falling over dead, with new assorted holes to accompany their charred bodies. However, some of them began to run and jump around, stumbling around just enough for him to miss some vital spots, so the ghouls pressed on getting closer. After dispatching another ghoul, the slide pulled and stayed back, showing that he was out of ammo yet again. He repeated what he had done yet again, running back while reloading as to not get caught in the middle of that pack of zombies.

"Come on, come on…" He said to himself as he started to get a little shaky. He had never seen so many ghouls in a little pack up close before, so it was mildly terrifying to him. Once he was loaded and ready to go, he turned yet again. The suppressed pistol firing off, letting it's blasts echo in the surrounding area. It may have been suppressed, but it still had quite the bit of noise on it. "Go down fuckers, go down!" he yelled again as he ran his mag dry. There were about nine ghouls left, and when he turned to run, he tripped over a skeleton left to litter the streets. It had to have been a body from the nuke.

When he fell, he somehow managed to keep his pistol in hand, as well as manage to keep his pack and rifle slung on his back in place. However, he scraping the side of his face onto the concrete after landing on the side of his arm. His attire took no damage other than a little streak of dust, but his face began to bleed a bit as bits of dust and dirt mix with the blood dripping down his face. He turned over and reloaded his pistol, albeit a little slow-like. With a shaky aim, and still sitting on the ground, he crawled backwards and shot at the remaining ghouls coming his way. Nine turned to eight, eight to seven, and seven to six. Eventually, he stopped going backwards and just fired his remaining shots into closest one, causing the final count to be five ghouls left. They were now close, and Atlas dropped his pistol as it had run dry again. He got onto his knee in a crouching position while he unsheathed his blade from his thigh. He held it, blade running it's length down his arm with determination in his eyes. "Bring it on..." He said, rather exhausted after expending a lot of energy on his abrupt landing.

As they neared him and lunged at him, he felt his teeth grit as he waiting for the ghoul to get in his range. The world seemed to slow down for him. He could see the grimy teeth and nasty saliva in the ghouls mouth as it growled at him. He knew damn well he wasn't gonna get out of this without a few bites, but at least it ain't like the comics. He would need a doc to treat it before it gets infected from their disgusting, diseased ridden mouth. As he got ready to slash, the ghoul seemed to start flying to his left, with a giant clawed hand swiping it to the side. He watched as the clawed hand turned into an arm, shooting out from above and behind him. Eventually, a giant figure had walked over him and swiped at the rest of the ghouls, hurling them off into different directions. He had backed away and got a full look at the figure that saved him, and to him it wasn't that hard to figure out who it was. The figure straightened up and looked up into the sky, unleashing a booming roar into the area. Atlas got up, almost exhilarated to see that it was none other than Ruby. His breathing had gotten a little too fast as he wanted to just run up and hug the deathclaw, but she had some business to take care off.

Taking off from her position, leaving a dust ring behind as she lunged at the ghouls with her claws shooting straight through their chests, impaling them and throwing them away like garbage. She dashed and tore into the ghouls as if they were paper. The five ghouls were reduced to nothing but mutilated and gibbed pieces of burnt meat, with some contorted in positions not thought possible after she slung them off into the sides. Atlas could hardly believe how fast she minced them up, but then again he shouldn't be too surprised.

He hissed in pain as he bent down and picked up his pistol, loading it with a fresh mag and holstering it. He then proceeded to wipe off his outfit, seeing a drop of blood pass down onto the ground as he dusted off his pants. He took off his fingerless combat glove and grabbed a rag from his pack, wiping the side of his face sucking on his teeth as he pressed down to get rid of the dirt and blood. Ruby had made her way over to him after cleaning her hands up from the filthy blood that riddled her claws. "Hey girl. Nice to see you again." He spoke up, pulling the rag back and putting it back into his pack to wash out later. Putting his glove back on, he then proceeded to grab some bandages and put them in an X symbol across his cheek.

" _I came as soon as I heard the first shot. Are you alright?"_ She asked him sternly, letting her ruby eyes gleam over into his emerald ones. He put all his belongings back into his pack and slung it back over, letting his rifle hang by it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He said back, letting his eyes peer away and onto the ground as to not meet hers, knowing that she was certainly not in the best of moods.

" _You know that is simply not possible."_ She states, causing Atlas to rub his cheek where his face had been scratched up. _"Why did you come out here alone. You know that some of these parts are not clear yet. The scouts can only do so much Atlas, and it was reckless to go alone."_ She scolded, although rather softly compared to a harsh yelling that a mother would do to her child.

He fumbled around, knowing very well he wasn't gonna have the answer she was seeking. "I woke up with a boggled mind. I was just trying to… I don't know, clear the fog? My mind was filled with a bunch of shit, and I wished to clear it just like you did. I didn't know where you went, so of course I went alone. I have been a lone wolf before, I can surely do it again. I'm just a little rusty. Once I work out the kinks I'll be good as new." His stance shifted as he finished up, and she snorted in displeasure.

" _Oh? A few kinks huh? There is quite a bit of ghouls laying down this road. You took on a full horde, you little fool. If you wanted to clear your head, surely you could have gone somewhere safer, or someplace meant to clear your head. I was on top of a building, looking up into the sky pondering on many things. If you would have called, I would have come."_ Atlas looked back up at her confused, starting to wonder some more things.

"How did you know I was in this much trouble? You watching me? How come you heard the first shot but didn't help out. You are a lot faster than that." Ruby sighed knowing that she had to explain herself. _"I was observing you. I felt terrible, leaving you all alone to sleep on those dreaded seats. I was too ashamed to come to you immediately, and I was hoping that as soon as danger arose, that you would possibly… call for me? I would have came to your aid as soon as you did."_ Atlas was now really confused by that as she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"The hell? Is that like an ego thing or…?" Ruby interjected quickly. _"No no! I just wished to see, uhhh. How would one explain such a precarious thing. I didn't want you to be upset with me for one, but it would just… I don't know. It would feel really amazing to be called and show up to their call, helping them to show that there is always someone to help them. I really wanted to save someone after their call to show that something like that isn't far fetched. Something along those lines?"_ She tried her best to explain the foreign feeling, and Atlas seemed to understand it a good bit.

"Ah, so kind of like a superhero. When someone calls you for help, you show up to induce hope and assure them that there is nothing to fear, saving them and being someone they can always count on. I get it." Ruby shifted her stance a bit, acting a little nervous. _"Is that weird? You can tell me the truth."_

Atlas couldn't help but smile and chuckle just a little bit. This caused her to tilt her head to the side slightly once again. _"What? It is weird isn't it…"_ her tone shifting into a somber one.

"No no Ruby, not at all. It's just kind of ironic that we BOTH have now tried something similar to that of something in that of a comic book. Just funny is all. But no Ruby, I don't think it is something that SHOULD be considered as weird, but just try not to experiment as much anymore. I can see about talking with the mayor about it. See if he can let the townspeople know that if they require help they call for you and I or… something. Sound good?" Ruby took one on her claws and gently poked Atlas's chest, protected by his armor.

" _Sounds alright by me Atlas."_ Atlas crossed his arms behind his head and smiled. "Good! So we are off then? Wanna walk with me some more? Or are you heading back to Diamond. It is still pretty early so it's all up to you."

" _As if you really had to ask. I'll be going with you of course. If any more trouble arises, you be sure to let me handle it. I'll keep you safe."_ She said to him, now walking off down the road where ghoul bodies were littered. Atlas joined her, marching down the road in a seemingly jolly manner. Ruby noticed this as they journeyed through the somber roads of the outer Diamond area.

" _You seem very jubilant, grá mo chroí."_ She said, rather soothingly. Atlas looked over with a joyous grin. "Of course! I just witnessed something friggin' awesome! It's been a while since I've seen you destroy like that. It was great to see that again. Plus, you aren't mad at me so it's all good right?" Ruby seemed a bit intrigued by his attitude change. She believes him, but there is something else that he is hiding from her. It is something she wishes to know. _"I suppose I can believe that. I was pretty energised."_ She said, looking at Atlas and waiting for an opening.

As soon as Atlas looked back forward, she found the opening. _"However,"_ ***BAM*** Ruby had flicked Atlas right on his chest, sending a vibration through his body that had this static feeling. "Owwww. What did I do?" He asked very much confused.

" _You are hiding something from me little one. I wish to know. It can't be that harmful."_ Atlas's face began to blush super hard, being about as red as an apple. "Okay… maybe I am. It's not harmful, but it is embarrassing." He looked away as they continued to walk.

" _Oh come now, it can't be as bad as most things. You know I won't tell anyone dearest."_ Atlas looked back over, with his arms crossed behind his head again. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"

" _A promise it is."_ She poked him again. _"Now tell me, what else has you super cheery."_

"Okay… don't laugh. You know Doctor Alicia right?" Ruby nodded, and he continued. "Okay… ummm. Yeah okay, so when I woke up this morning, I went out to the market to come out of the city of course. Alicia had met me as soon as I entered. She was up just like I was." He explained, an obviously nervous tone taking over him and his gestures.

" _Mhmm, what happened?"_ She asked quizzingly. His blush pertained as he continues on. "We had been talking, and we just get along really well. She really likes you, that's for sure. She was kind of like… flirting with me and such. She and I are just so similar, and I think that maybe… I like her?" Ruby was taken aback a bit, and Atlas could see it. She began to laugh, causing his blush to grow so much, he face felt like it was on fire.

"I told you don't laugh Ruby…" He said, really embarrassed as she tries to dismiss her laughter. _"Oh no, I'm so sorry Atlas. I just didn't quite expect that, that is all dearest. It's really sweet is all."_ She explained, having her laughs calm down so that Atlas can stop being so embarrassed. Once she calmed herself down, she leaned in to show interest and care.

" _So you have gathered feelings for Ms. Alicia hmm? Do you know why? Especially considering the wound you still carry in your heart."_ Atlas drew his eyes up into the sky, seeing as the clouds passed by, being ever so whimsical. "I see what you mean. I don't know why, but I just feel attracted to her for some reason. I can't explain it, but her similarities with us and her dying intrigue for us just kind of sets her out of the loop. My ex… she was a simple mistake on my part. That's all. I won't dive straight in, I'll see if she likes me just as much as I do her. Then I can move on from there." He finished off, his face growing into a smile.

" _Will you be prepared for the worst? Will you be mentally prepared to possibly get turned down and possibly lose a friend simply because she knows of your interest? You have many things to consider."_ This is a question that he had already considered. Honestly, he was afraid to answer. Anything could happen when it comes to him. If he says no, Ruby will scold him. If he says yes, knowing his luck he will be turned down and completely shut down. Ruby had taken notice of his hesitation, raising one of her scaly brows. _"Atlas?"_

"I will try not to be too bent out of shape if it were to come to that. Besides, I'll still have you. You don't plan on going nowhere right?" He asked, looking worryingly into her eyes. She giggled quietly upon looking at how sincere he was. They had both stopped their walk to further hone in on the conversation.

" _Of course not. Like it or not, you are stuck with me. Sure, we may need a break every now and again, but we are the same being. You said this yourself, have you not?"_

"I did say that, I think it will keep true too. We will forever be one in the same, no matter how different we may seem, we are more alike than you or I or anyone else thinks." Ruby smiled, leaning her head down and nuzzling him. Atlas chuckled as he rubbed her chin, feeling the rough scales that covered it. She really was kind of like a dragon.

" _Well said little one. Well said. Shall we continue onwards then? We may have some more ghouls to clear out."_ Atlas smiled as he swung his rifle 'round and got it ready. "Lead the way." She nodded as they both headed off down the roads, hoping to make some of the streets a safer place.

* * *

The sound waters were calm on the Boston shore. Ruins of a once famed minutemen fort lay, eagerly waiting for it's next inhabitant. Sure enough, a group of heavily armed men came into view. The men were all armed to the teeth, dressed in black combat armor with leather reinforcements and a duster. Everything being so dressed in midnight black, they could surely be suited for any stealth situation. Their helmets however, looked like something straight from the institute. It was an all black helmet of course, but it had a blue visor to look out of with a built in gas mask unit. It was heavily based on that of the rumoured "NCR Veteran combat armor" from New Vegas. A man stepped out in front of the group, grinning as he laid his eyes on the fort.

"Your orders Sir?" one of the soldiers asked. The scraggly bearded man turned around, pointing his arm supported by a type of power fist at the ruined fort, and spoke. "Clear this place out. Once that is done, we will rebuild this place. We will scourge the commonwealth off all that we need to ensure that this fucking place is better than the legendary Fort Knox! Once we establish a stronghold here, we will do whatever the boss tells us to do. Under my orders however, I wish to capture a man named Atlas and his little pet deathclaw. We scourged through most of the outer settlements, and couldn't find him. So hopefully, the present we left behind will lure him out in the open. You have your orders. Now get to it you fucks!" He shouted. The man was of course, Ares. His men, the Spectres, all saluted him and in unison shouted, "Sir yes sir!"

Ares turned around and looked out into the commonwealth. As he looked out, the sounds of his soldiers firing their laser rifles and assault rifles filled the air as the ground rumbled. Soon, a figure came into view as they all attacked what appears to be a giant Mirelurk Queen. Unintelligible yelling and shouting on top of the blasts and explosions did nothing to waver his focus. Instead, he smiled evilly as he looked out into the city. "Just you wait old friend. Just you wait."

He would stay this way, peering out into the city as his men battled away behind him. With the sheer firepower and number of men that the Spectres held, it was just too much for the Mirelurk Queen and it's clutchlings to handle. Eventually, the queen fell. This would mark the beginning process to turning the fort into the main enemy stronghold. The only one above it would be the secret location to the institute, which to this date is still unknown.

* * *

 ***Bang!*** "Shit, careful! Watch your back!" A man shouted as he chambered a new round into his suppressed rifle. _"Is that not what you are here for?"_ Said a feminine voice back, soothing in nature, yet bearing a sarcastic tone. Atlas and Ruby were in view, battling more ghouls that they ended up encountering as they ventured the roads. This pack had many different kinds however, ranging from a charred to a glowing one. The glowing one was constantly bursting out radiation, healing it's buddies from any damage sustained.

"Yeah well keep in mind that they are a bit fast!" He yelled as he watched Ruby slice open a ghouls stomach, letting it's guts spill out onto the street. He aimed in and took a shot at the glowing one, which was surrounded by other ghouls and heading towards Ruby. The shot entered through the head of a bloated ghoul, and entered the arm of the glowing one. Green blood began to spray the ground from its newly acquired wound, over contrasting the bloated ones deep reddish-brown blood.

" _With skills like yours, that should not be too much of a PROBLEM!"_ She yelled as she swiped a group of ferals away from her. Atlas scoffed as he aimed down his sights, taking potshots at the ghouls heading for him and Ruby. He was burning through his mag, leaving zombified corpses to litter the ground. They are a little more mutilated from his .50 cal however.

"Reloading, you got me?" Atlas asked as he began swapping mags. Ruby sliced and stabbed at the incoming ghouls. _"Yeah, I have you covered. Disappear you little mongrels!"_ She shouted at them as she continued to shred through their ranks. She saw their forces dissipating, so she roared out into the streets. "Ready! I'll clear out the ones in your way. Get the ones in the very back, go!" he ordered as she took off. She weaved through the streets, avoiding any swipes coming her way. Atlas was a bit slow at first, but eventually caught up to her by killing ghouls before she reached them. As soon as he ran clean, she had gotten in his visual anyway. "All yours! No visual!"

" _I'm on it!"_ she yelled as she lunged forward and slashed down two more ghouls. With one final movement, she jumped forward and plunged her claws into the chest of a charred ghoul, sneering as the thick, red blood trickled down her hands. Ruby growled as she pulled the dead corpse of the charred ghoul off her claws. Atlas was lagging behind a bit but he caught up, reloading his rifle and smiling at the scene. "Thirty plus ghouls, dispatched faster than I could count them. Well done! That was fucking awesome!"

Ruby began to clean up her claws. _"Not so bad yourself you know. Your marksmanship never ceases to amaze me."_ They both regrouped and walked down the streets yet again. "Hopefully this is all we have to encounter."

" _I gathered some information from the scouts. It seems that most ghouls hail over the north side. Super mutants tend to stick towards the south side and the raiders kept west. I don't really know if all of this is one-hundred percent true. We shall find out eventually though."_ Atlas nodded. "I suppose so."

" _Let's go ahead and clear out the north side. Once we are pretty sure it's clear, we will return and give good word to the townspeople and hopefully the scouts will head out and make sure the north side is secure by clearing out the buildings and such. We will take a break, then move on into raider territory. They will be a whole lot easier than the mutants. They shall be last. Deal?"_

"Sounds alright by me. Let's get going!" He shouted with excitement. Ruby chuckled as they both started off down the winding roads, checking every alley and every side corner. They would continue to do this until they absolutely made sure that it was safer. Little did they know, that they would be soon encountering a horrible scene. Whether what they were about to encounter was to be considered a good or a bad thing is entirely up to them. The entire northwest side would be nothing but a barren waste… a horrible display left by the spectres. The scene they were about to stumble on, makes them wish they had more ghouls to kill. This is something fit to be in Atlas's nightmares.

 **Annnnd cliffhanger. Damn, sorry to leave it off like this. It's a little short and I'm sorry for that, but it's simply because I have a clearer picture for the next chapter. This was a filler/introduction to get myself back into the fray. Again, sorry for how short it is, but hopefully this and my Tales of Six update hold you out until the next chapter, which will be so much longer than this little filler. Anyhow, have a good one everyone. Love you all,**

 **~Red**


	12. Chapter 12: The First of Ruins

Chapter 12: The First of Ruins

"What are they you ask? Feral Ghouls are former humans who have become horribly irradiated by the radioactive fallout covering the wasteland from the Great War. Many ghouls are pre-war humans who survived the nuclear bombardment during the Great War. They were horribly disfigured and their lifespans were increased, making them closely resembled to that of a zombie. Mass exposure to radiation in the post-war Commonwealth wastes degenerated their brains, causing them to lose their higher cognitive functions, turning them into mindless, radiation-resistant cannibals, aka Zombies." A voice said to another as they sat near a campfire. "Hmm, you got anything else on those things?"

"Although losing most of their intelligence, they seem to retain it a bit considering they work by a 'pack' mentality, will try to dodge bullets and other attacks with random bursts of speeds, and will even try to play dead by luring survivors near their dead bodies so they could pounce them when least expected. Losing their limbs won't stop them, so their brain has to be destroyed in order to eliminate them completely. Quite the nasty bunch, they are. All in all, quite a deadly creature to be out with in the waste, with plenty of variants to come by. From charred to glowing, bloated to withered, it's all the same. They want to dine on your flesh in the end. Best you blow it sky high before it gets ya." The voice responded back once again. "Interesting. The world is filled with all sorts of weird creatures, and all because man couldn't settle down and debate with their words. Such heathens… anywho, I wonder what else I could find out here. " The man said as he finished writing in his notebook, standing up from the campfire and walking towards what looks like city.

* * *

The roads seemed grew calmer and calmer as our pair of good samaritans cleared out the filth of the commonwealth. People that have been reduced to a stumbling zombie, needing to be relieved of all pain and anguish, were brought down and laid to rest in peace. They had gone about the north side of Diamond, clearing all that they could in order to make the roads safer to travel. With light of this, the people could start to clear out and search the buildings in order to gather more supplies and maybe find any citizens held up in a building. Even if they don't find any new settlers, the least they could do was stomp out any signs of danger so that more people would be at ease.

"I'm starting to run out of ammo you know. It probably wasn't the best idea to start with the ghouls considering there is so damn many." Atlas had said now coming into view. He was shown following behind his companion Ruby. _"I knew you would eventually, but that's what you get for choosing such an expensive and bulky round to hold. What did you say it was again?"_ She asked intently, with Atlas responding to her while he reloaded his weapon. "It's a .50 cal, and it packs a better punch than the other options I had for this rifle. Once I run out, it will be a CQB game for here on out, because all I will have left is my damn pistol. I don't exactly have that much ammo left on that either." He groaned.

" _I figured you were a bit a ornery because you haven't had anything to eat, but we ate about twenty or so minutes ago yet, here you are."_ She said, but not in a disapproving or disappointing tone. It sounded as if she was teasing him. "I am not ornery… I'm just stubborn." He said looking at the evening sky. Ruby had laughed at him and this threw him off. "What?"

" _That is what ornery means. It has two meanings: bad or ugly temper, and being stubborn. It fits you perfectly you hard head."_ she giggled. "Ahh whatever, happens to the best of us." He said, nearly pouting as they trudged through the streets heading to the west side. He looked up into the sky and swore he could see black smoke, coming from different parts of the landscape. He could also smell it, coming from where they were headed. "Hey, you smell that?" He asked getting his rifle ready. _"It has been violating my nostrils for several minutes now. Either those raiders are burning things down or having a giant cook out."_ She joked. His sense of humor had began to reflect on his companion.

"Only one problem with that." He said as he walked to her side. _"What's that?"_ Atlas looked up at the smoke and then back at her. "I don't smell any food. Whatever it is, it's foul. Come on, I'll scout ahead, you watch my back."

" _No, I'll scout ahead. You stay behind, watch my back."_ She got down on her fours and went off. "What? Woah woah wait! Annnnd there she goes. Damn, no sense arguing with her. I swear." He said to himself annoyed. He watched as her figure vanished after taking a sharp turn on the winding roads of outer city diamond. He got down just a little bit but rushed over, following the path she took while keeping an eye out. The smells only got stronger and stronger as he moved forward. "Jeez, I couldn't imagine having a sense of smell like Ruby. This shit must be ten times stronger for her."

The area around him seemed to rise in temperature as he moved forward. The buildings that surrounded him got noticeably more charred and ash covered than others. It looks more "recent" as opposed to those left by the nukes centuries ago. Soon he took another sharp turn and ran right into something, nearly falling in the process. "Ow! Shit!" He said as he opened his eyes and saw that he had ran into the back of Ruby. In front of her he could see an outline of orange.

"Sorry Ruby, didn't expect that… what is it?" He asked, only to have her reach a hand around her back and grab onto his arm, pulling him to her side. He looked out into the landscape with a confused look, only to see nothing but a wartorn waste. Buildings, both old and rejuvenated had been turn to rubble. Bodies, intact or dismembered were strewn throughout the streets. Multiple things were in fire, traces of some explosive bombardment. It's a surprise no one had heard the explosives, but with the laws and nature of the commonwealth it was honestly no very doubtful.

"Oh my god…" He said as he looked to Ruby, seeing nothing but pure terror in her face. He put a hand on her arm before passing by and beginning to inspect the area, seeing nothing but pure chaos. The bodies had been fresh upon inspection, with only a few bodies being colder than others. Weapons were left, but no supplies or ammunition. "These were raiders but… some of these aren't." He said solemnly as he knelt down next to the body of a women, bullet wound going to her heart. Some of these people were innocent. Could have been bystanders, scavengers, even prisoners. The way these bodies are mutilated it's just… inhumane." He stood up, eyes glaring at a destroyed house. The anger was searing off him as he grinded his teeth. He then got down onto his knees, dropping his rifle after seeing something he shouldn't have. Next to a decapitated male and female body, was the body of a little boy. Tears had stained his cheeks, and a bullet was lodged in his chest.

"It was the Spectres. Ares… that fucking bastard!" He yelled out into the world. Shouting at the top of his lungs, he punched the concrete ground three times as hard as he could. "FUUUUCK!" He yelled from the immense pain going through his hand, on top of the anger he felt over the losses of people he didn't even know. His partners actions and ideals had began to reflect on his own, shifting from a once uncaring and blunt person into the man he is now. He held his hand, tears stemming from his eyes after the pain comes through. For some reason, he did not break anything. His combat glove kinda helped, but his fist would surely be out of commission for a good bit though.

He then shifted himself into sitting down, holding his hurt hand and cursing at himself for being such a fool. Ruby had made her way over to him, standing by his side like the protector she was. Atlas looked up at her and stuttered, trying to get words out. "I-I… I just… why?" She looked down at him, not having a simple expression on her face. He couldn't find anything to say, so he looked back down and leaned on her leg. The pain came in waves, and although he did not sob, the tears still flowed.

" _This sight, is all too familiar. The enclave has turned desolate towns into a waste, much like this. For me, this is nothing new. I just wish we could have known somehow that this was occurring. We could have helped in some way, but instead we were left oblivious. It happened to recently too, so we know that the Spectres are indeed a large force to be reckoned with."_ She explained, still eyeing the chaos that ensued.

He looked back up to her again, still not knowing what to say or how to get the words to come out. "W-Why? Why these people?" He muttered out. "Could we have… c-could we have saved them?" She looked back down to him, taking the back side of one of her claws and gently wiping away his tears. _"I don't know Atlas. That's the whole point, is that we simply never know what outcome could take place. Don't be so sad little one, the innocent souls that have been slaughtered here are grateful to have you mourn them. They now know that they will not be forgotten. I am sure, that in the end you will avenge them."_ She soothed him, using her most sooth-filled tone possible. He sniffles as he leans back up on her leg, wondering why they did this.

"These are so gruesome… there is no way that these are spectres… this has to be something worse, a more barbaric group." He tried to reason, knowing it may not be true. _"It could very well just be other raiders or some other group, but the only hunch we have is that of the spectres. So that is what we will assume."_ She responded. Atlas wiped his face with his good hand, wincing as he felt the pain in his right fist.

" _I wished you wouldn't have punched the ground Atlas, surely there was a better way to extinguish your anger."_ She extended her hand down to him, and he took it. He got himself up with her help and just leaned into her side as she held him close, a sign of protection and comfort. "I don't know why I did that… I suppose I was just so angry that we didn't know. How did we not know? It isn't too far away, but… I don't know." She gave him a reassuring squeeze to let him know that she had him. After a few more moments of staring at the gruesome scene, Atlas wiped his face with his good hand again and picked up his rifle, leaving the embrace that Ruby had him in.

" _Are you alright?"_ She asked as she turned to head off. "Yeah. Hopefully when we finish up clearing the outer diamond area, we end up finding whoever the fuck did this. I swear, I'll make 'em pay. That's a promise." He said, gritting his teeth as he walked off, trailing the way that they originally came from. The pain continued to come in waves, and the only part that really hurt was his knuckles. He restrained himself so that he wouldn't cause himself damage, but he did get a little carried away. He was almost afraid to take his glove off, so he settled it on having Alicia look at it for him after having a nice chat with her. "She is gonna give me an ear full… great." He said to himself.

Ruby had given the scene one last look before setting off and catching up to Atlas. The two had walked the streets that they originally came from, no longer paying any attention to the hell they had left behind. It would take awhile to get everything back to normal so that they can have settlements there again.

Atlas knew that if they come into a fight, he wasn't going to be at his best now that he let his anger best him. He pulled his pistol out of its holster using his left hand, making sure it was loaded and ready. It wasn't recommended, but he managed to pull the slide back just a little bit despite the searing pain coursing through his fingers. He saw the brass on the bullet and let his chamber fly forward that little bit as he hissed. "I'm not very great with my left hand, but I'll manage. Sorry you will have to do most of the work should we run into any trouble. I know I didn't break anything simply because it would hurt much worse than this. I may have internal bleeding or some kind of bruise." He said to himself, hoping that he was right. Ruby just shook her draconic head, sighing at the fact that he would even do something like that, but of course she knew better.

" _What would you do without me around? I swear little one…"_ He turned to her, smiling as they walked hoping to cheer her up. "You aren't that much taller than me you know, you only beat me by like… a foot or more." He scratched his head with his hand, not realizing it was his bad hand until the pain seared through. "Ow, shit. Okay, gotta remember that."

" _You be sure to stay back should we encounter enemies, I'll handle them."_ She ordered, keeping her serious face plastered. He seemed defeated when he realized just how focused she was. For all he knows, she was just as angry as he was. He simply was just trying to redirect his anger before he does something stupid again. "R-roger." Was all he said. They continued to walk the ghoul covered roads, watching as their bodies decay even further after their life has been extinguished. The somber walk led on in nothing but silence until he decided to ask an odd question in hopes of taking her mind off everything.

"Hey Ruby? How come you haven't been speaking Gaelic all that much anymore? It was quite interesting to hear, considering it definitely dates to pre war." Ruby looked at him and then back out in front of them. _"It was simply a habit. I know some other languages due to the people tasked with caring and nurturing me. All of their languages were very much passed on to me, and the one I heard the most besides English was this old man who spoke 'Irish Gaelic.' I like how it sounded so I learned it with him, knowing fully well that others wouldn't understand what he and I said. Now that I am here with you in Boston, I see no use for it. Call it rehabilitation, except with regular language. I have already picked up on dialects and how you use what some would call 'slang' and I replicate it to seem a little bit more normal. I will try my best to keep in a formal style, as I tend to notice that a formal dialect gets you a lot of compliments compared to your standard."_

"... Fair point. We all tend to sound bland after a while. It ain't all that bad. Anyway, I was just wondering." He finished off, seeing at how Ruby kept her eyes on her surroundings. The two of them just kept walking the streets, now more quiet than the two have ever been. To be fair, both of them were clouded with a sense of rage and a lust for vengeance. The sun had began to set on the world, and they had things to report.

" _When we arrive, you are going straight to Alicia. You need to get that hand checked out so that I can make my decision based off the results. Meanwhile I shall go to the Mayor and tell him about the recent events and how we should deal with it. That clear?"_ She said to him, tone coming off as commanding and harsh. "Y-yeah… what do you mean make your deci-" He was then soon interrupted by her. _"It doesn't matter now. You'll know when you get the results. This is a serious matter Atlas. No matter who the enemy turns out to be, we need to extinguish them from our plane before they cause any more damage."_ Her seriousness for the situation was something he hasn't seen fully. He had only seen parts of it, and it began to worry him. He did however, agree that the people on the end of this should perish. "I understand."

" _Good, that makes things easier on me. Diamond is up ahead. You know what to do."_ She said to him as the both neared the front gate. The guard didn't even hesitate to let them in after knowing exactly who they were. Atlas, now in a safe area decided to holster his pistol. It took a little bit of fidgeting with it but he got it in its rightful spot and continued through the market, ignoring the glances and waves he got from any bystanders due to the serious look that now plastered his face. Ruby broke off from him at the marketplace and went her separate route, taking her "advanced" way to get to the mayor.

When Atlas arrived at the office, he opened it up with his left and went straight to where he figured she would be, in the back. "Doc? Alicia where are you?" He asked out as he scanned the area, seeing empty seats and empty beds. He checked everywhere except her actual office, and couldn't find a single trace of anyone. "I guess everyone is healthy then. Alicia?!" He yelled out. He heard some shuffling from the back office, the footsteps coming close to the closed door.

"Whaaaaat? I'm closed today what is it?" She said, coming out of her little space and yawning. Her hair was not raggled, but it appears she was taking a little nap. Atlas felt a little guilty about coming right in, he had no idea it was closed. "Closed? What for?" He asked, watching as she stretched and wiped her eyes. She opened them up and met his emerald ones.

"Oh, Atlas! What are you doing here what's wrong?" Her tone and manners had changed compared to what she was originally. She completely threw off his question and went straight into paramedic mode. "Something happened didn't it?" She asked intently as she scanned his body for any visible injuries.

"Weeeell, maybe. It's a long story." He said as he slowly lifted his hand up to her. She eyed him before taking his hand and noticing as he winced from the pain in his hand. She wasted no time in removing his glove, despite the hissing coming from him. She scanned his knuckles and noticed that they were bruised to all hell.

"Damn… here. Come sit. You can tell me about it now." She pulled him over to a chair and sat him down, walking over to her cabinets and searching through them. "Well, you know how we were gonna go clear out the streets right?" She nodded, "Uh huh, and I'm guessing you found Ruby too." She said as she went back over to him with a handheld device, taking his hand and taking a "picture" of it.

"That's right. We were killing off a bunch of ghouls. I'm actually running dry on ammo from all those damn ghouls. We went northwest bound to get into raider territory, and we came across a pure catastrophe filled scene. Dead bodies, both raider and not were laying on the ground with varying wounds. Some mutilated, others not. We saw a dead boy shot in his chest… it was… fucking barbaric." He said, trying not to relive the scene. She waved off the picture that came out of the device and saw that he has no fractures nor does he have any broken bones.

"I am sorry to hear that… I suppose you two were a bit shaken up from it." She said as she put the device back and started fumbling in other places. "I was surely, but not Ruby. She said stuff like this was normal for her. She seemed to serious and cold compared to me. At first she was sentimental, and I was rage filled. I actually punched the ground a good couple times, that's why I'm here." He said, rubbing his head nervously. Alicia came over with a case, probably filled with stuff he will need.

"Here, this has med-x that you need to take to ease the pain, get you back into working order. It should also stop the swelling." She put the glove that she removed in one of his pouches. "Might wanna let it breathe a little bit. You didn't hurt it too bad surprisingly, but it will take a day or two to get better. There is also some stimpacks in there, to help you both on your next journey. You know I wish I could go, but this is all I could do." Atlas nodded with a smile on his face, standing up and stretching out his hand a little despite it's injury. "I can't thank you enough Doc, and I'm sorry for- AHH!" He was interrupted by her punching his arm.

"Ow? Why?" He asked surprised from the punch. "That was for waking me up and coming in my place after I closed. Everyone here is nice and healthy, I wanted to actually catch some sleep for once. That's also for worrying the hell out of me, you moron. Why did you punch the ground? You damn meat head…" She came in close and pulled him into a tight embrace, burying herself into him and resting under his chin. "Don't be so stupid, okay?"

He was blushing himself to death at the moment, but he wrapped an arm around her and smiled away. "I'll try not to, but that's asking for a lot." They both laughed, "Yeah, I know. Go on now, let me get some sleep. Check in with me later if anything else happens." They left the embrace and Atlas nodded. "You got it, I'll be sure to let you know. Thank you so much, catch you later!" He said as he grabbed his case and waved her off, exiting her office with a hearty smile. She sighed with contempt, swirling her hair as she went back into her room to catch a few more winks. "Big old block head…" She said quietly as she closed her door.

* * *

The once ruined fort run by the minutemen, is now being restored to a higher glory. The sun glisten

He steps out of her office and out into the world, seeing that it grows darker by the minute. He opened up the case to grab one thing of med-x before closing it back up and putting it in his bag. He took a moment to remove the protective cap and injected it into his arm with a wince. He sighed as he then retraced his steps to eventually make it over to the market, disposing his empty syringe on the way. When he got there, he looked around at the vast amount of people and took notice that Ruby wasn't done yet. "Well, two things I need to do," he said to himself walking over to the weapon dealer. "Ahhh, Atlas my friend, what is it you are looking for today?" Atlas leaned on his counter, pulling out his caps from his bag despite the teeming pain still there in his hand.

"I need some fifty cal and ten millimeter ammo, I'm running out over here Mateo. Think you could help me out?" Mateo had a grin on his face as he reached below the counter and pulled five boxes of each ammo. "How is this? 60 fifty cal rounds and 100 ten mil rounds, all for the price of 150 caps, what do you say?" Atlas's eyes popped out of his head when he realized just how cheap that offer was. "Damn! Of course I'll take it!" He said joyfully while putting 150 caps on the counter. He then put his caps and his ammo into his bag, now feeling the weight they held. _"Feels good to finally have some weight back there again."_ He thought to himself. Once he got everything settled, he exchanged smiles with Mateo before leaning on the counter again, "Why such a low price my friend? What gives?" Mateo looked a bit surprised that he didn't know. "Atlas surely you must know? You and the Jewel have been opening up safer roads for caravans to come through. More stuff found around the safer parts on top of the caravans mean better stock for us all! I couldn't thank you enough, so that's why I will be lowering your prices on any items you buy from me."

He couldn't help but laugh, "Damn man, I appreciate that. Let me know when you got a really good pistol in stock, one that is better than the one I bought last time. It wouldn't hurt to have a strong backup." He scratched his beard as he thought of some that he could sell to Atlas, "I'm not too sure, that will be a hard upgrade. Give me a little while to get some more stock, I'll let you know if I get something." They then both shook hands as they went off with Atlas going to a food bar and ordering a bowl of noodles. Mateo went back to work as always.

As he ate, all he could ponder is what she will expect of the results. His hand already began to feel better, but that could be because med-x is like a pain resistance drug. He shrugged it off anyway, not really caring since no matter what he was going to go anyway. He just ate his hearty bowl of noodles, which was so delicious to him. It was something he hasn't had in such a long time. He just sat there, biding his time and enjoying himself for the little bit he had. Life in the city wasn't all that bad after he opened up a bit. He was still nervous to talk with people openly, but it made things easier when he started getting a fairly good reputation.

"Thank you for the meal!" He said as he paid the server off and made his way to the front entrance with his gear all ready. He took some final sips from his water before tossing it out when he got to the entrance way. He could see Ruby waiting outside. Nodding to the guard, he made his way to her. "How'd it go?"

" _About as well as I could expect. The mayor will be sending out heavily armed scouts in bigger numbers to investigate that area and further clear it out. He is distraught by our news however, despite the fact that we cleared most of the north side. He thanks us graciously for that."_ She explained, with him nodding in acknowledgement.

"I suppose we should watch ourselves when we get back out there. We should just head west from here and deal with whatever raiders are still in the area. Mutants should most definitely be last, I don't feel like dealing with those damn suiciders." He looked up to Ruby, who was just staring at him with a blank expression. _"How is your hand?"_ she asked quite bluntly.

"It's fine… uhh, Alicia said that it will only take a day or two to heal, and I have some med-x and stimpacks so. All good." He said with generosity, hoping she won't leave without him. For some reason, that is the only thing he could think about.

" _Good, now as for my decision. I say that we head out to the raider area tomorrow. I very much dislike the idea of you going with, as I am afraid for your safety both physically and mentally, however it puts me in between a rock and a hard place. Should I leave you here, you will be quite upset and I could get into more danger. Should you come with, we could both find something else we didn't wish to see but we would have each other. Despite this, you are going with me. You will follow my lead as we retrace our steps and walk past the scene we encountered today. We will hopefully pick up some kind of clue as we make our way to the raiders. Understood?"_

"Y-yeah, of course. Let's do it." He said, not so very ecstatic. "Sun sets soon, you should go get something to eat before we settle in." He suggested, hoping she will do so.

" _Where do you plan on sleeping tonight?"_ She asked, slightly tilting her head and flicking her tongue out, kinda like a snake. Atlas looked around to see just where they would. "I don't know, I suppose that building in front of us." He said shrugging his shoulders.

" _That shall do. I am glad we brought this up because the major is going to have someone build us a home here. It's going to have a door big enough for me and will be built higher up than other homes. We will also have better privacy, since we will be around the back side of Alicia's office."_ Atlas looked surprised, "Really now? That's good news! Glad you told me. Hopefully it has facilities for BOTH of us because you and I haven't showered... Anyhow, go on and get something. Find yourself a nice Brahman or anything else you can find to satisfy yourself. I'll be up on the roof, you be safe now."

" _I'll do my best. I'll be back as soon as I can dearest. Be back in a flash."_ She said to him as she headed off on all fours, looking back as Atlas crossed the ways to get to the building. Atlas waved at her as he went to the other side of the building, taking the large ladder that leads all the way to the top. It was an enclosed ladder of sorts, and had a hatch at the top with a pretty good lock on it. Should somebody come knocking in his sleep, he will hear it. As he looked at, he realized that he may have been a little bit too generous, as the sun was now gone from the sky. "Well, damn. Good thing she can see well in low-light."

He hopped on the ladder and took it to the top, albeit a little shaky considering his injury and he also has a fear of heights that he still hasn't gotten over. It wasn't that bad unless it got to extreme heights, like that of a skyscraper. At the top, they still had a basic set up going. There was a sleeping bag that had been placed, nice and closed up so that nothing will get inside to surprise him. There was also a lantern, still filled with oil sitting on an old metal table, which he put his bag and weapons next to. "Basic, but appreciated." He said as he stripped down his armor, boots, and duster, placing them under the table nice and folded up. "Don't need those flying off with the slightest wind. Now I might wanna get some clothes before someone sees me." He said, embarrassed since he was running around in only his underwear and socks. He opened up his bag and grabbed a black plain shirt and a plain pair of shorts, putting them on and opening up his sleeping bag. "Goddamn, it just cold as hell… guess that's what happens when you take off all that shit I was wearing." He said to himself, getting nice and snug.

"What if it's really hot? Would I be sweating really bad? Or is there a type of fiber in there to be resistant to both weathers. I hope it's the second one…" He was talking to himself, which was something he had frequented for as long as he can remember. His mind refused to get on the topic at hand, which was the slaughter of settlements and who could have been at the head of such an operation. So instead, he went to another topic that was stuck on his mind.

He began to blush just thinking about it, "I wonder if Alicia likes me? Maybe I'm just reading this incorrectly, she just cares a lot about me and Ruby… for some reason." He turned to his side and hid deep in the big sleeping bag. "Grrr I don't know! I wish I knew more about this… It's my own fault for not socializing. Nobody knew who I was, even when I was around." He ranted with himself for a little bit until he settled with a yawn.

"Ahh, I'm done. Hopefully she will come alright," he smacking his lips as he closed his eyes and soon saw himself falling into a slumber. The sweet relief of sleep was welcome in this world, with only two things being able to ruin sleep.

Meanwhile, Ruby had just finished devouring a radstag. It wasn't glowing so it should have been safer than others. She found a little pond of sorts, and washed out her claws there after remembering what Atlas had said. _"Sure got dark quick."_ She said to herself, before going to another topic that came to mind. _"We must smell really musty… I suppose everyone else does too. Even so, we all should still take a shower whenever possible."_ She thought to herself as she turned back, finding her way to Atlas. She encountered little resistance as she went over to the grasslands over to the east, avoiding conflict when possible. Now, she just needed to head on back with the same conditions.

Stealth however, was her element. She stuck with the outskirts and kept to the shadows, moving as swiftly and quietly as possible. Most things didn't bother to attack her, as they knew naturewise that they were no match for her. Had she come across a raider or a super mutant, even an institute soldier, then she would need to fight. Right now though, she wasn't much in the mood for it.

" _Come on… just let me have a nice trip back. I'm already wasting enough time."_ She said to herself as she snuck around some buildings, seeing lights in the distance. For all she knew, she could have passed by raider or mutant settlements without them ever even noticing each other. Good for the both of them.

The lights got brighter, and soon she could see diamond guards, securing the front entrance way. She knew that she had made it back to safety, so she decided to head over to the building across the way, which is where Atlas was. She climbed up the massive brick and concrete building, pulling herself up to the top and seeing Atlas, tucked into his sleeping.

She tilted her head as she went over to him and peered down at him, realizing that he was asleep. _"Aww, poor thing must have been tired."_ She mused with herself, going over and laying down next to him like they always do. She likes to sleep the way they do, because it makes her feel like security, or like a mother watching her child. _"I shall protect you little one, I love you Atlas. Sleep well, and I'll see you in the morning."_ She said as they both snuggled in. All sound began to drown out as the sounds of slow breathing and heartbeats overtook everything.

Both have entered the peaceful embrace of sleep, and they shall be in this embrace for hours. After the events of today, it was definitely something they needed. Hope that no one should stir, hope that they have the clearest minds with the nicest of dreams. While diamond may be shining a beacon of light and hope, a dark cloud of animosity and evil dwells elsewhere. It looms over the fort, where the god of war and his allies build themselves from the first of ruins, and begin to establish the first of their empire.

Standing next to an artillery cannon, the rogue leader Ares watched over the city, looking as flashes of light and sounds of screaming and gunfire consumed the outer area. Soon, he got a call on his ear piece. He sighed as he answered it, "A little late, don't you think? What is it? Oh, Big Boss!" He corrected himself upon realizing it was the reason man was his commander; the one who put him in charge of the Spectres.

"I saw what happened to the north-west side, was that your guys? Damn, those fucking HLV's are something else. The scene they left was fucking barbaric!" He started laughing a little bit maniacally. "Ahhh anyway, what is it you ask for boss?" The voice coming through his headset was inaudible, but it did change Ares face expression quite a bit. "We do have control of the fortress yes, and after what you did on most of west side, there shouldn't be too much of a problem." He answered his boss. "No, I haven't told him yet. Should we tell him, it would just make him even more of an enemy… a damned good one at that." Some more silence coming from Ares as he listened to his boss. "Right, understood." Was all said before his boss ended the chat. Ares just gave out a devilish smirk as he started out in the direction of diamond.

 **Okay, so I was gonna make this thing about 14k words long, but with the way I had it set up it didn't look good on paper, so I'm separating them into two chapters. We are now starting to get into the grit of the bigger picture. My Atlas and Ruby have grown a lot with me over the years, evident by my constant changes in style. Whether that is a flaw or a uniqueness in me, I know not. I thank everyone who takes the time to read it regardless, and hope my current style has been enjoyable. Love all of yall, and catcha later tater.**

 **~RedRonin of the Asen Exiles.**


End file.
